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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314029">Scrapped + One Shots Collection</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mozarteffect/pseuds/mozarteffect'>mozarteffect</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Ball</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Disney Fusion, Awkward Vegeta, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, Humor, I can't promise there won't be, Male/Female Friendship, Mermaids, Minor Character Death, One Shot Collection, Romance, Slow Burn, Some OOC, description of graphic violence, for at least one or two because of "bc it's funny" logic, we'll see where this all goes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:55:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>60,220</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27314029</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mozarteffect/pseuds/mozarteffect</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This is just a conglomerate of ideas that I have that I can't entirely devote the attention span to fully fleshing out, or maybe I will later but want to get them out now, who knows what the future will bring? Also featured are works that I tried to make or published previously but later deleted, AKA scrapped works.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Broly and Lemo and Cheelai, Bulma Briefs/Vegeta, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. OS 1: A Beastly Beauty</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Basically what it said in the summary, the first chapter is my take on a Beauty and The Beast AU. I can't promise things will be fully fleshed out and might end abruptly due to the nature of this collection. </p><p>Happy Halloween! (Beasts are Halloweeny right?)</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>
  <em>Long ago on a distant planet, many different aliens congregated to form a community together.—</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>—Prince Vegeta IV shut the open history book left out carelessly on his desk. "I told Tarble not to leave his texts in <em>my </em>room," he grumbled to himself, straightening out the fasteners on his cape one last time before leaving the room.</p><p>He lived an idyllic life in the kingdom of Sadala with his parents and younger brother, at the age of 26 he was the strongest of the Saiyans and next in line for the throne after his father.</p><p>It bored him immensely.</p><p>There had to be more to life than idling the days away with training and useless posturing often practiced by his people. Vegeta disliked the carefree flexing of other Saiyans, their bragging and comparing of each others' power levels (as if a number could be put to a Saiyan's power). Though it worried his parents, Vegeta didn't relate so well to other Saiyans his age and avoided them more often than not. In turn, his fellow Saiyans began to look at him as "odd" themselves—it was hardly proper for the future ruler to be thought of as unusual by his people, but, well, Vegeta simply wasn't <em>usual</em>.</p><p>"I don't think you're odd, Vegeta," Tarble chirped at him when Vegeta returned his text onto his <em>own</em> shelf.</p><p>"I couldn't care less if people think I'm odd, Tarble," Vegeta retorted. After a moment, he considered the words of his little brother and sighed. "But...tsk. I...appreciate your consideration."</p><p>The young prince beamed at him, his tail wagging back and forth with joy. Vegeta resisted the urge to sigh again—but of course Tarble didn't think anything about him was <em>odd,</em> the barely 17 year old boy was <em>very</em> odd himself. They were more similar than Vegeta cared to admit, albeit with Tarble having less ferocity in fighting than him. Tarble was...</p><p>Instead of voicing any of his thoughts in <em>that</em> regard, however, he only tapped his brother on the nose and scolded him: "It's improper for a prince to have his tail loose."</p><p>"Oh, that's right," he replied, self-consciously winding his tail back around his waist. "Well, thank you for returning my book. I have to get back to my studies now."</p><p>The kingdom of Sadala, of course, took education very seriously. Though Saiyans were known for combat above all, they embraced science and arts with great enthusiasm, inviting inhabitants from other areas of the world to come and share the fruits born from these endeavors for mutual growth. The King, Vegeta III, particularly enjoyed the topics and sought the greatest talents to benefit the Saiyans, both in education and to commission their skills. Tarble, being the younger prince and not next in line, had the privilege of being allowed to stick so closely to his studies. For the moment, the open secret that he didn't enjoy fighting for the hell of it and preferred creative pursuits was fine.</p><p>For the moment.</p><p>Vegeta wasn't certain when the other boot would drop and the King would begin to mistreat Tarble. He hoped it never happened. He hoped he would become king himself before it did, nobody would dare disobey his orders to leave the boy alone.</p><p>He pulled himself out of his thoughts for the moment with a curt nod to Tarble, reminding him of the schedule for the day (as if it ever changed) before leaving.</p><p>Right on schedule.</p><p>The same routine.</p><p>Another thing that bored Vegeta immensely.</p><p><em>Is this all there really is?</em> he thought, not for the first time. Life was all the same, every day, the same regiment, the same back and forth from socializing, the same suspicious glances and over the shoulder mutterings about <em>odd</em> and <em>unusual</em>. Hell, at this point his parents had given up even hinting at the idea of Vegeta pursuing a courtship with another Saiyan since he had walked in on a conversation where the surveillance head essentially begged his father not to spring a betrothal onto the prince and his young daughter. <em>"She's...she's got a weak constitution, my King, and the Prince is...so..."</em></p><p><em>"Odd, volatile, intense, unusual, funny in the head—oh, which one is it, Beets? Do tell!" </em>Vegeta had interrupted the man at the time with one of his smirks that could strike his enemies dead with terror.</p><p>His mother had scolded him for frightening a staff member, he scolded her right back for trying to decide his life without permission and letting a lower class dullard speak out of turn about his betters. His father in turn scolded <em>him </em>for disrespecting his mother and cuffed him across the forehead.</p><p>In any case, trying to find a <em>mate</em> (his parents were so old-fashioned in their speaking still) went off the routine list for Vegeta. Trying to get him to <em>relate</em> to other Saiyans went off the list. All that was left was training, eating, doing some observation of king duties in preparation for his crowning, reading, sleeping, and so on and so forth. "There must be more than this," he mumbled to himself.</p><p>"You're not going to start singing, are you?" a voice from his left chuckled.</p><p>"Shut up, Raditz," he automatically responded, not even sparing a glance to the absolute moron that, unfortunately and very <em>very</em> begrudgingly, served as one of his closer associates. "Why would I do that in public, anyway? That's absurd."</p><p>(He never even <em>talked</em> about his feelings anyway, who actually <em>sang</em> their feelings?)</p><p>Raditz, for all intents and purposes, looked more frightening than he actually was. He had the imposing Saiyan height and musculature in spades; Vegeta barely reached his chest and Raditz was certainly a lot bulkier than him. His more defining feature, however, was his mane of hair as long almost as he was tall and the sharply angled eyes adding to an intimidating countenance. One wouldn't realize that despite all of that, he was a man who preferred to keep the peace before starting any fights...with other Saiyans, at least. Especially with the Prince.</p><p>"It's just a joke, Highness," Raditz said, scratching at the back of his head—a common gesture from him and others in his family to show nervousness or embarrassment. "You, um, seemed to be thinking about the usual again, is what I mean, you seem really down."</p><p>Vegeta bristled at the implication, that Raditz read him so astutely—he <em>hated</em> it when he did that. Yet, he couldn't tell him (though he had tried before!) to mind his own business and know his place, Raditz managed to crawl back into his good graces every single time. "I find this aristocratic life dull and repetitive, so what? I can't do anything about that, except perhaps when I am King," he stated bluntly. "Now, did you have a reason for bothering me or were you just intent on being a nuisance today?"</p><p>While Raditz would usually have a snappy comment saying he was perfectly good at doing <em>both</em>, now wasn't the time when Vegeta was in a <em>mood</em>. He nodded, gesturing with his hand to <em>somewhere</em> beyond their sight. "Oh, I just came to tell you my brother is visiting." Without waiting for a reaction but still with that expectant look, Raditz continued: "He said he's brought more items from his source."</p><p>Though Vegeta would never show it on his expression, his interest was definitely piqued—Kakarot, Raditz's younger brother, was <em>absolutely</em> funny in the head. He had always been sort of <em>out of place</em> for a Saiyan, cheerful and good-natured, finding more enjoyment and challenge in fighting than dominance. They had clashed initially a couple of times with Kakarot cutting it close in surviving against him, coming back every time more eager than before. Vegeta didn't get it but indulged him regardless since hardly anyone else could provide an actual <em>challenge</em> to him.</p><p>He also didn't get why Kakarot insisted on being called <em>Goku</em> and living among humans. Last he had heard, Kakarot was courting a human princess (or something like that).</p><p>None of that was something Vegeta cared about, what he <em>did</em> care about (besides Kakarot's inexplicable fighting talent) was the "source" Kakarot would bring advanced technology from. Wholly unique, clearly from the mind of a genius, if Vegeta didn't know any better he would have thought that it came from the mind of Dr. Briefs.</p><p>(But that couldn't have been possible, Dr. Briefs and his family disappeared nearly ten years ago after the death of his younger daughter at the claws of a horrific beast.)</p><p>"I see..." Vegeta rubbed at his chin, considering whether the small idea that was blooming in his mind should come out or not. "Tarble will want to come along and check it out, for sure. Has he set up his shop yet?"</p><p>"He and our parents are working on it now," Raditz answered, visibly brightening at the change in Vegeta's dour mood. "When ya get a chance, you should definitely come over and check it out. He mentioned his source was in a pretty inspired mood recently!"</p><p>
  <em>The source...</em>
</p><p>Vegeta wasn't in the habit of being honest about himself, and he wasn't about to start, especially not with Raditz to whom he nodded at and left there with some vague promise of meeting later at Kakarot's booth. The truth of the matter was, over time he had started to pry information about Kakarot's source out of him, the clown wasn't very forthcoming but revealed a few things with that goofy smile of his.</p><ol>
<li>The source was a woman that was a <em>very dear friend</em> of Kakarot's. He referred to her as simply "Bee." (He went on saying Bee stood for many things about her, like <strong>B</strong>est <strong>B</strong>uddy, and <strong>B</strong>eauty, and so on and so forth until Vegeta told him to shut up.)</li>
<li>She was, indeed, a genius and had graduated from university early—when Kakarot met her she was teaching at the age of 16.</li>
<li>She always had interesting stories about things she knew and places she had traveled. She had even travelled off-planet and wrote books about the topics (which Vegeta voraciously read cover to cover).</li>
</ol><p>Fourth, something Vegeta kept to himself, he wanted to meet her. He wanted to hear about her stories, he wanted to have even the smallest secondhand experience of all of what she had done. He told himself he would get in to talk to her by recruiting her as a tutor for Tarble, the boy probably would have loved to meet someone like her after all.</p><p>Perhaps today would be the day that he convinced Kakarot to take him to meet his precious source.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Unfortunately for Vegeta, just because his parents had stopped talking to him about finding a committed partner did not mean nobody again would ever bother him with the idea of making a <em>commitment</em>.</p><p>Not in the marriage sense, as said most Saiyans regarded him with fear at best and like he was a freak at worst. No, the biggest issue was someone from outside of Sadala, a creature—Vegeta  wouldn't acknowledge him anything besides—called Frieza. Frieza had been after Vegeta for quite a while to recruit him into his army, which Vegeta always refused. He was to be the king of the Saiyans, he didn't have time to be in that slimy lizard's <em>army</em>, he could only imagine what sort of atrocities he got up to with his men and wanted no part of it.</p><p>He didn't understand why his father tolerated Frieza, why he allowed the creature to sneak his way into Sadala every single time without a fuss. Every single time his father just mumbled something about diplomacy and told Vegeta to mind his manners.</p><p>Every single time, Vegeta crumpled up the letters sent to him from Frieza.</p><p><em>No, never, hell no, go away,</em> he said every single time.</p><p>Unfortunately, Frieza chose that day to be in the hall outside of his room when Vegeta finished changing into his less formal armor for travel (coincidentally also designed and made by "Bee".) His sleek white form starkly contrasted against the walls, making it almost impossible for Vegeta to pretend he wasn't there.</p><p>"What the hell do you want, Frieza?" he growled, not sparing a glance to the diminutive alien as he turned sharply to take another route to outside of the castle.</p><p>Somehow, the blasted creature managed to keep up with him anyway as Frieza floated along by his side. "I didn't take you for being slow on the uptake, Prince Vegeta," he sneered with that tone that always grated on Vegeta's nerves. "You know exactly what it is I <em>want</em>."</p><p>"Pity," Vegeta scoffed back, turning up his nose. "I have no interest in joining your army, so if you would—"</p><p>Frieza's tail slammed into the wall at his side, stopping him from moving forward.</p><p>"My dear Vegeta..." Frieza hissed malevolently, walking with purpose into Vegeta's space whilst staring at him with those evil eyes that filled him with dread. They were the kind of eyes that would make lesser men weep in fear. (Not Vegeta, but the temptation did occur occasionally.) "You don't seem to understand, while you will be King of Sadala down the line, <em>I</em> will be the <em>Emperor</em> of the Cold Empire. And as the Emperor, I <em>always</em> get what I want."</p><p>A shudder of tension rippled through Vegeta, pressing itself into his jaw and fists that clenched hard in response to Frieza's thinly-veiled threat.</p><p>"Think about it, won't you? I do hope you will have a better answer for me next time, Vegeta," Frieza said, turning away to glide off down the hall. "You'd best watch yourself, my boy, I have power you cannot even <em>comprehend</em>."</p><p>While Frieza left terror in his wake, he also left questions in Vegeta's mind about his parting statement. Power? Is that why his father tolerated Frieza? Because of the threat of incomprehensible power? But...</p><p>Vegeta scoffed, his disdainful huff turning into half-incredulous laughter. "<em>Please</em>. The nerve of that...that...reptile," Vegeta snorted, ignoring the waver in his own boastful voice. "As <em>if</em>. I suppose he'll want me to bow and say <em>as you command, Lord Frieza!</em>" He affected a flourishing gesture and a mocking bow to no one in particular. "Ha! No way in hell. I'm..."</p><p>He was going to get out of there. Out of the castle, out of Sadala, out of the stifling royal life—there just <em>had</em> to be more than <em>this</em>.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Kakarot, the younger son of Bardock and Gine, had no business looking identical to his father when he was so dissimilar to his father.</p><p>Vegeta didn't mind Bardock so much, the man was serious and thoughtful which—while a little unusual for a Saiyan—made him an excellent warrior. He stood taller than Kakarot, but slightly shorter than Raditz, his most...unique feature happened to be the hairstyle that he shared with Kakarot. It stuck out in all directions which, of course, looked absurd to Vegeta. Unlike his son, who had a soft face and a goofy, carefree expression, Bardock carried a hard, impassive look to him, accented with a scar on his cheek. Very much typical for a warrior. Said warrior nodded to him when he noticed that Vegeta had joined the crowd of people at their booth.</p><p>Despite what he would tell anybody about disliking softhearted fools, Vegeta didn't mind Gine so much either. She was definitely where Kakarot got the softness to his features, and maybe somewhat his height as well since she happened to be the shortest in her family (actually, she was a head shorter than Vegeta). Gine seemed frail and, indeed, had a gentle nature to her, but if there was something one never did it was underestimate a Saiyan, especially not a Saiyan woman, <em>especially</em> not a Saiyan mother. Beneath her smiles and giving nature, Gine was fiercely protective of her family, perhaps even more so than Bardock despite him being the decorated warrior. She smiled and waved to him when she noticed that he had arrived as well.</p><p>And Kakarot...</p><p>Vegeta felt his expression visibly contort into disdain at the sight of Kakarot's garish orange gi and his all-too-bright and cheerful grin as he bartered with people over the <em>crops</em> that he and the old man he lived with produced. It made sense, he usually started off with the crops for the biggest crowd, then went over to the technology for the more refined classes. Vegeta, however, got first sight of the supplies in that area and Kakarot knew, as always when he spotted him in the crowd he would throw a wink his way and a bob of his head gesturing to go around the back. While Vegeta would loathe being <em>winked</em> at any other day, he nodded to Kakarot and moved through to the back of the booth. If anybody noticed him, they didn't say anything, or they just whispered to one another about <em>there goes the prince again</em>, nothing he cared about.</p><p>"Hoh~ good morning, Highness!" the old man that Kakarot called <em>grandfather</em> greeted, already in the process of arranging more merchandise to pull out.</p><p>From the smell, they appeared to be baked goods, nothing Kakarot or Son Gohan would have been able to produce, making Vegeta wonder for a moment when they procured such things (Bardock certainly wouldn't have and Gine served as a butcher, not a baker). He dismissed the thought just as quickly with a shake of his head. "Old man, you know what I'm here for."</p><p>"Yes, yes, of course," Son Gohan chuckled, taking out the small capsules that usually contained the source's works. "Bee hasn't written anything new lately, I'm sorry to say, but—oh, I thought you were bringing your little brother with you?"</p><p>"Change of plans," Vegeta lied, sweeping aside the notion with a gesture. "I have decided I want to meet this source, I've been considering taking her on as a tutor for Tarble and would like to interview her first."</p><p>Then something happened that Vegeta had never seen before in his time of knowing the Paozu native, Son Gohan balked. He balked, then his expression darkened into a grave contemplation entirely unfamiliar to Vegeta. "We...we cannot do that, Prince Vegeta," he answered quietly. "Bee is very private, she doesn't take visitors besides us at all."</p><p>"And she <em>never</em> leaves the compound," Kakarot added as he pushed aside the drapery separating them from the outside to come in. He, too, had an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. "Sorry, Vegeta, but I can't let you see B—" He paused, Vegeta noted that the "buh" noise he was making had a different syllable than the usual "Bee." "I just can't, okay? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if somethin' happened to her, and Chi-Chi sure never would let me hear the end of it," he finished with the forced note of a joke to hide his anxiety, yet Vegeta saw that he was scratching the back of his head vigorously.</p><p>"What do you mean <em>if something happened to her</em>?" Vegeta pressed, finding the response altogether odd. "You're acting like I'm going to kill her. I have no intentions of harming your precious friend. Don't you trust me?"</p><p>"I don't <em>trust</em> that you won't keep your mouth <em>shut</em>," Kakarot snarled, taking Vegeta aback at the show of aggression.</p><p><em>What the hell? </em>"Keep my mouth shut? What is that meant to imply, Kakarot? Why all the secrecy about your source?"</p><p>"It's complicated, Prince Vegeta," Son Gohan intervened gently, resting his hand on Kakarot's arm. "Bee's circumstances are complicated, and bringing in an outsider might muddy things up all the more. Especially with your position—won't the King wonder where you've gone?"</p><p>"I'm a grown man and I do what I want," Vegeta said stubbornly. "My father doesn't dictate where I go or what I do, just because he's still king. I insist. If I'm meant to be sworn to secrecy, then I'll do that, and no harm will befall 'Bee' as you call her." <em>Or "buh" whatever that was. </em>"Kakarot," he turned to the younger Saiyan, "Don't make me invoke my authority. Whether or not you live in Sadala, I am still your Prince and you still obey me."</p><p>"Like heck I do!" Kakarot tutted back with equal stubbornness, he sighed, taking his hand away from his hair to avoid scratching it all off. "Gimme a sec, okay?"</p><p>Before Vegeta could reply, Kakarot pushed past him to the outside, taking out what looked like his old scouter as he went. From what he could hear, Kakarot was making a call, speaking in a hurried and hushed tone. Vegeta caught snatches of <em>"it's me, Bul...—yeah...I got a friend here and...—he's saying—...are you sure?—...Okay, I trust ya."</em></p><p>Soon, though it also felt like ages, Kakarot came back into the booth with a heavy sigh. "All right...she said she'll let ya come visit, Vegeta." He fixed him with a severe glare. "But you have to <em>promise</em> no fights, no killing, no telling <em>anybody </em>what you see."</p><p>The terms confused Vegeta immensely, why did he keep going on as if he would immediately react and try to fight or kill? Or spread around what he saw? Something was suspicious about the entire thing and yet his damnable curiosity and boredom drove him to agree with a nod. "You have my word, rather—she has my word. When can we leave?" Outwardly, he didn't let onto how eager he was to get going, although the tip of his tail did start wiggling in excitement.</p><p><em>Finally...something </em>different<em> is going to happen. Fortune is on my side after all.</em></p><p>
  
</p><hr/><p> </p><p>The easiest part was informing his family he was going on a journey to train with Kakarot. Though it was a little abrupt to them and Vegeta had never gone training <em>with</em> Kakarot before (and they didn't appreciate the message of "tell Frieza to go to hell"), his parents didn't put up a fuss.</p><p>The hardest part was hiding his excitement as he thought and thought and thought about what was waiting for him at the end of the trip in Kakarot's flying vehicle. If he were honest (and as said before, Vegeta wasn't in the habit of being honest about feelings) he had been imagining the scenario of really <em>leaving</em> Sadala without the company of his family or the pretense of business for ages. He felt the tingles of nervous excitement buzz through his body again as he sat patiently waiting for Kakarot to dock the car.</p><p>"So," Vegeta began after a moment of waiting for Kakarot and Son Gohan to finish unpacking (not offering to help since, of course, he was above that). "Which way to your source?"</p><p>"Golly, Vegeta, just a sec!" Kakarot said with a huff while he finished up. "Chi-Chi has some meals packed for Bul—Bee, I gotta get those first."</p><p>Again, that slip. Vegeta raised an incredulous brow, staring at the younger Saiyan as though seeing him for the first time. "You bring meals to her?" he asked despite telling himself that he didn't care and he would have rather called Kakarot out on his slip.</p><p>"Bee has...a condition, she can't get out as much as she used to," Kakarot responded, sadness tinging the edges of his smile.</p><p>"She is ill?" Vegeta asked, again despite telling himself he didn't care.</p><p>"Look, uh...Vegeta..." Kakarot's tone had dropped into a hushed level like he was having difficulty finding the words. "When...when you meet her...she'll tell you everything. As long as you promise nobody else finds out."</p><p>If he kept getting prompted to swear to secrecy, it must have been something serious. Perhaps more serious than he was ready to confront, especially for just a whim on his part. Nonetheless, while Vegeta might not have been openly honest about his feelings, he was not an outright liar. He kept his vows on his honor as a Prince and he would keep this one. "I've told you, I swear it," he said with a firm nod.</p><p>Surely whatever <em>secret</em> this was couldn't have been so shocking as it was being made out to be.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>If he didn't know any better, Vegeta might have thought the building they were approaching looked uncannily like the former Capsule Corp. compound. But that couldn't have been, the compound was destroyed by the beast that killed the youngest Briefs daughter. Still, as Vegeta took in the sight of the large domed building, something deep in his gut was starting to nag at him.</p><p>Kakarot, too, had been uncharacteristically quiet and solemn throughout the walk down the forest path. He didn't say a word until he pushed the button at the gates (somewhere off in the distance, the sound of a bell rang). "Bulma," he spoke into the intercom, "It's me. I brought dinner and your visitor."</p><p>Bulma? Something nagged at Vegeta's memory again. Bulma wasn't a common name by any means, certainly not a Saiyan name, but the familiarity of it all bothered him as the gates creaked open and Kakarot led him inside.</p><p>The building was...large, made even larger by the fact that it appeared to be completely devoid of life. Did she live all alone here? Why was that? Was her condition contagious? Kakarot didn't appear to be ill and he visited her often, so—</p><p>"Bulma? Where are ya?" Kakarot called.</p><p>"In the garden, Goku!" the voice of a woman called back, appearing to come from a brightly lit doorway just ahead of them.</p><p>Vegeta could faintly see plant life at the edges of the doorway as he followed Kakarot there, and...</p><p>They were...outside?</p><p>A lush paradise of greenery was the next thing that filled Vegeta's vision, trees and plants of all types covered the large room and reached up to the ceiling where a skylight provided sun. Animals, too, inhabited the space like it was a jungle in itself, ranging from small to giant and all seeming perfectly content. Where in the world was <em>this</em>?</p><p>Something began to click into place in Vegeta's mind as one very <em>large</em> animal stood up from the gazebo in the center and made its way towards them.</p><p>Capsule Corp.'s Dr. Briefs loved animals; he took care of all types that he brought back to his mansion of a home, nursing them back to health, feeding them, and so on. Dr. Briefs wasn't there, nobody was, nobody besides the beast. The beast that...</p><p>The creature that approached looked to be feline in form, perhaps a lioness that stood on two legs and swung its arms as it walked like a person would. (It moved <em>too much</em> like a person, how could it?) Distinctly <em>blue</em> fur covered what parts of its body Vegeta could see, the rest obscured by a black boiler suit—it wore <em>clothes</em>? To preserve its modesty? It tied its mane back like a person would to keep hair out of their eyes? But why did it act so much like a <em>person</em> when it was clearly a <em>beast</em>?</p><p>"Hi," the beast, the source, Bee, <em>Bulma Briefs</em> greeted in a pleasant tone. "It's been a while since I've had visitors besides Goku. Come in, please, I've got tea made already."</p><p>All Vegeta could do was nod dumbly at the invitation, he had to be pulled by Kakarot to remember that he could even walk over to the gazebo where a <em>tea set</em> of all things was set up in preparation.</p><p>He really didn't know what to make of the whole thing. While he imagined the day he would get to leave Sadala and experience something <em>new</em>, being in Capsule Corp.'s garden having tea with Kakarot and...the apparently <em>not</em> dead Bulma Briefs wasn't something that ever crossed his mind.</p><p>Her appearance was that of a beast, through and through, yet her mannerisms were gentle, almost playful. She laughed when a small black cat scaled her back to sit on her shoulder, commented to "Scratch" that he was tickling her, took care of their tea, and even politely offered Vegeta first servings.</p><p>It was pure madness, nothing at all like the stories of the vicious beast that slaughtered the innocent daughter of the famous scientist. It...<em>she</em>...acted...<em>human</em>.</p><p>"I can tell you have a lot of questions," Bulma said to him after a long moment of waiting for him to speak. "Take your time, I'm not going anywhere."</p><p>Vegeta really could not reconcile the image of this bipedal lioness leaning on her elbows in an expression of caring attentiveness with the idea that it—she—was actually a human woman. Vegeta by no means scared easily, nor was he shallow, but could acknowledge surely this beast would frighten and disgust many! No wonder Kakarot had made him swear on his honor to secrecy!</p><p>He was...being a very inconsiderate guest, though, she was offering him information at his leisure, he just needed to sort through it.</p><p>
  <em>All right. Pull it together, Vegeta. You're a Prince, after all, act like it.</em>
</p><p>Vegeta sat up straighter, cleared his throat, affected a detached, regal demeanor as he pretended to think it over.</p><p>"First," he said, gesturing to their surroundings. "This is Capsule Corp., is it not? But the location is not West City. Why is that?"</p><p>"Good question!" she replied with a grin that would have looked threatening with the mouthful of fangs she was sporting.</p><p>Would have, anyway, if Vegeta were a feebler man, which he certainly was not.</p><p>"No, this isn't West City, and the compound wasn't here originally, I moved it."</p><p>She said it so casually, yet Vegeta could not wrap his head around it. He looked up and around at the environment, then back to her waiting patiently for him. "And...how did you accomplish that? Surely you're not going to tell me that you lifted and moved it yourself?"</p><p>Then something happened that didn't usually happen in conversations Vegeta had—the woman laughed. Nobody <em>ever</em> laughed in his presence, not at something he did or said, not with him, not <em>at</em> him. He didn't know what to make of this beastly woman laughing like he told a joke, it evoked a foreign feeling inside of his chest that felt like embarrassment and...bashfulness?</p><p>"I'm actually not that strong, you're right!" she agreed when she took a breath.</p><p>Kakarot chuckled good-naturedly himself and glanced at Vegeta. "Vegeta, you've read all of Bulma's books, don't ya remember her modifying her house into a ship?"</p><p>Something else happened that moment that rarely happened to Vegeta—his jaw dropped in genuine astonishment. "Of <em>course</em>," he muttered, mentally going over the diagrams he had obsessed on when he first came upon them. "You converted the house into a ship, that was how you brought it here and how you've traveled to space since then. Incredible. But..." He frowned.</p><p>Unfortunately, it was time to address the obvious. (And he had been having such a nice time with the conversation, too.)</p><p>"Why...? And...what happened to your family? What happened to <em>you</em>?"</p><p>Bulma's smile did not fade, exactly, though it did visibly dim. Vegeta could sense a melancholy thread itself through her aura as she cleared her throat delicately and stirred her tea. He felt Kakarot tense nearby, going into a protective mode despite there being no danger.</p><p>"These are all good and fair questions," Bulma responded quietly, the picture of composure and manners despite the ever-darkening quality of her aura. "Let me start by asking you this—does the name Frieza mean anything to you?"</p><p>Without intending to, Vegeta's breath hissed out between his teeth at the mention of the lizard.</p><p>Bulma nodded, the expression saying more than words would ever tell. "Well...a couple of years ago, when I was 17, Frieza began to come around trying to recruit my father."</p><p>"A habit of his," Vegeta couldn't resist interjecting with disgust.</p><p>"Mm...Dad refused. He's a gentle person, and we all knew what kind of thing Frieza was...unfortunately, we didn't fully know <em>what</em> he was capable of."</p><p>An echo of Frieza's threat earlier—Vegeta couldn't comprehend the power he held. Evidently, neither could the Briefs.</p><p>"He has a witch in his army," Bulma explained. "Beriblu. She..." A pained look flashed across her face. "She took her time with us."</p><p>Kakarot had reached over in the meantime, taking her clawed paw with his hand and smiling reassuringly at her. Something, again, struck Vegeta in the gut about the gesture, strange as he wasn't prone towards feeling sympathy.</p><p>"She acted like our friend," she continued after a hard swallow. "Getting to know us...then, on my 18th birthday, she struck."</p><p>"Struck?" Vegeta echoed, knowing Bulma was getting emotional remembering what was presumably a terrible day for her but telling himself he didn't care.</p><p>"She cursed me," Bulma answered, her gentle expression becoming bittersweet. "I was a vain girl, always talking about how beautiful I was, she turned me into a mindless beast that was supposed to kill my family and everyone there."</p><p>"But we're friends with a witch, too!" Kakarot cut in supportively. "Granny Baba put Bulma back into her right mind before anyone got hurt!"</p><p>"Fascinating, but—" Vegeta interrupted just as quickly as Kakarot—"If you also know a witch, why could she not reverse Beriblu's spell?"</p><p>"Yeah, I thought the same," Bulma chuckled dryly. "Unfortunately, curses can't be reversed, only modified. At least that's how Baba put it."</p><p><em>Typical,</em> Vegeta thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. Magic was always like that, prone towards absurd rules and technicalities.</p><p>"She modified the curse so I was in my right mind and there would be terms for breaking the curse," she leaned back in her seat, staring thoughtfully up at the skylight.</p><p>Against his better judgment, he <em>was</em> curious about what the terms were—obviously they had not been met as Bulma was still a beast—but he saved that question for the moment. He had <em>some</em> tact, after all, and she was clearly pained by going through this memory. "Go on," he prompted, despite his sense of tact.</p><p>A quirk of a smile came to Bulma's lips, her eyes slid back down to meet with his—he was struck by how much emotion and humanity was in those big blue eyes of hers, they were definitely the eyes of a person. A real, feeling, thinking person, trapped in the body of a beast. "By that time, everyone saw me turn into a monster and cause a lot of mayhem, so Baba had some work to do with modifying memories, making it so Beriblu had just conjured a monster that killed me rather than <em>me</em> being the monster. And...my family..."</p><p>There came that melancholy air again. Vegeta kept telling himself he didn't care despite the sympathy constantly nagging at him. He couldn't help himself when he thought about it, he had read and admired the works of this woman for so long, he felt somewhat of a kinship with her though he would never admit that.</p><p>"I...had to send them away, so Frieza couldn't get to them. They got on a ship and went away to a distant planet, I modified the house into a ship so I could go visit them. I try to as much as I can!" She forced a smile. Vegeta was struck with the feeling that it was difficult to face her family in the form of a beast. "I just...try not to cause trouble for them."</p><p>What an odd notion.</p><p>"You don't," Kakarot insisted, "They love you."</p><p>Speaking of oddities, something else odd happened when Kakarot spoke that word, "love." Bulma chuffed, a harsh growl that almost sounded like a derisive laugh. "Love...yeah..."</p><p>While Vegeta would have reacted the same way as Bulma talking about the idea of <em>love</em>, it was an unusual reaction. Underneath her veneer of calm, mannerly scientist, something wounded peeked out. Something she guarded with jealous zeal, even around her dear friend Kakarot.</p><p>"What are the terms for reversing the curse?" he asked, "Clearly they have not been met if you still have this form."</p><p>"Vegeta!" Kakarot scolded, hair bristling.</p><p>Contrary to how he reacted, Bulma gazed at something off in the distance, somber, contemplative. "The terms...I have to find my true love."</p><p>Oh.</p><p>She turned back to him, a wry and crooked smile in place to pass her emotions off as nothing. "I had a boyfriend at the time, talk about awkward, right?"</p><p><em>Oh</em>. While Vegeta wasn't an expert on emotions, especially not that incomprehensible emotion called love, he winced at the thought.</p><p>"Yeah..." Bulma appeared to read an expression he hadn't realized he was showing. "Unfortunately, he wasn't into the idea of serious and true love. Not so soon. Not until he was older and we got married. He wanted to enjoy his youth with no strings attached before settling down." She shrugged carelessly, reaching out to refill Kakarot's cup with more tea. "At the time, I was devastated, but...now...I get where he was coming from. It was a lot and way too soon. I hope he's found his true love now, wherever he is."</p><p>How nice for <em>him</em>, Vegeta supposed, but he scowled nonetheless. "Right, but...what about you?"</p><p>By all accounts, Bulma had gotten screwed over and was left with the consequences of the curse—isolated, inhuman, probably sad though she wouldn't let on that she was sad. Vegeta would have been righteously pissed if it was him that had gotten cursed (maybe he would have if Frieza went through with his threat).</p><p>Bulma laughed, shaking her head. "Geez, I'm...what, 25 now? I've had some time to think about it and honestly, even though it's lonely, I kinda like being a beast. The only people who come near me are ones I know I can trust. I can still visit my family, and...back when I was human, people used to try and take advantage of me in one way or another. People stay away from me now since I'm so hideous, it's great. I get a lot more work done now!"</p><p>"Hmmm..."</p><p>She was happy like that? He could see it, he supposed, at the same time it felt too much like hiding, it was a waste of her talents as a scientist. If he brought her back to Sadala, Bulma would surely thrive working as one of the lead engineers in the Royal Family's science department.</p><p>But then again, if Vegeta brought Bulma back to Sadala, they would <em>both</em> be trapped in the same old day to day routine that he had wanted to escape from.</p><p>"Hey, Vegeta?" Kakarot interrupted his musings, leaning into his view. "What're ya thinkin'?"</p><p>"I suppose I could come to visit sometimes, if I feel like it," he mused as though Kakarot didn't say anything.</p><p>Bulma regarded him with a mixture of curiosity and amused interest, like she wasn't sure of what to make of him but at the same time was intrigued. Vegeta regarded her right back, outwardly impassive but inwardly equally intrigued by this woman and her circumstances. Had he found an equal? An actual person that he could relate to? Someone who wouldn't just avoid him with detached formalities or try to manipulate him to suit their own ends?</p><p>"Okay," she said, her smile bright, "I'd be happy to have you. Goku never really talks about Sadala, so I'm interested in hearing about it."</p><p>"But you have to <em>promise</em>—" Kakarot began.</p><p>"—Kakarot, for the last time, I will not tell <em>anyone</em>!" Vegeta snapped. "Did I <em>not</em> make a vow as the Prince of all Saiyans?"</p><p>"Well, yeah, but..." Kakarot mumbled something he didn't quite catch, likely something disrespectful about doubting how sincere he was.</p><p>Bulma laughed, "Wow! Goku didn't tell me you were the Prince! He just said you were interested in my inventions!"</p><p>"I am both of those things," Vegeta answered as though it were the most obvious conclusion in the world. He could feel the tip of his tail wiggling in excitement again as he said: "So? Are you amenable to this arrangement?"</p><p>"Ah, so proper." The woman cupped her cheek in her hand and leaned on the table again to regard him thoughtfully. "I mean it, though, I don't mind. Come whenever you like."</p><p>"...That's it? I don't have to give you something in return? My firstborn? My life?"</p><p>Bulma's response then was laughing at him, saying she wasn't a <em>demon</em> or a fairy, she was a scientist! Though Vegeta didn't appreciate being laughed at, he couldn't disagree that the visit and future arrangement was overall much more exciting than his life back in Sadala. The new information about Frieza and the witch in his employ, as well, shed more light on what sorts of things had been going on behind closed doors.</p><p>"I will defeat Frieza," Vegeta concluded. "I just need to get stronger. I am finding that I've begun to plateau with my training."</p><p>"Oh, hey!" Kakarot perked up at the statement. "You can use the gravity room Bulma made!"</p><p>Bulma nodded, looking excited. "Hey, right? Goku has been testing it for me, but he doesn't really like gravity training that much."</p><p>"Is <em>that</em> what your trick is?" Vegeta questioned the other Saiyan, who grinned shamelessly at him. "All this time, I thought you were just a natural!"</p><p>"Nope! Just a lotta hard work!" Kakarot chirped with a careless flex.</p><p>"<em>And</em> a genius helpful friend," Bulma added, playfully nudging the clownish Saiyan, who laughed and nudged her back.</p><p>He supposed he could deal with their cheerful camaraderie if it meant a new method of training in addition to a new, interesting companion to speak with. Yes, she was a beast, but certainly she had the heart of a human and a brilliant mind that was being wasted by having zero stimulation besides a fool like Kakarot. Vegeta was being downright charitable to her.</p><p>(And, though he was never honest about his feelings, she was being charitable to him in relieving his shameful loneliness.)</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Scrap 1: Collision</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A chance encounter from childhood, recurring dreams, fated to cross paths again—but was it meant to happen like this after all?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the first of my scrapped entries (which is why you'll notice it cuts off at the end), an attempt at a canon divergent AU oneshot. I realized it was...meandering a lot and absolutely NOT going to be a oneshot and I didn't have the attention span to devote to this whole thing. Maybe I'll revisit it someday but I don't see anything particularly special about it to warrant that. </p><p>You may notice some concepts have made it into other fics, because I'm predictable as hell.</p><p>To understand what event this is referencing, please consider this: https://mozarteffect.tumblr.com/post/175426908323/future-trunks-seeing-kid-vegeta-meet-bulma-so</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>It was a dream that still came to Bulma sometimes, herself as a child running through trees holding a gun—one of her first working models. It, to her, was one of her biggest accomplishments despite having just singlehandedly fixed an alien ship and taken it for a test drive. Such a thing was mundane to her! A <em>gun</em> on the other hand was what was really needed in the mind of her five year old self, especially when she spotted a streak of <em>something</em> shooting across the sky.</p><p><em>It must be another alien!</em> Bulma had thought wildly in the dream over the sound of her heart hammering in her chest. <em>I have to stop them! They don't belong here!</em></p>
<hr/><p>—She had woken up afterwards with glimmers of memories slowly fading away as reality set in.</p><p>Right. Today was the long-awaited reunion with her friends at Kame House. Bulma would not allow herself to dwell on things like dreams and such when she had to get herself ready. Go through the motions, scrub away any concerns prompted by the night before whether from dreams or unpleasant thoughts of uneasy relationships.</p><p>Ugh. There she went thinking of it, she groaned to herself as she brushed her teeth—the possibility that she might see <em>Yamcha</em> there. The indignant anger at how things ended last time had begun to soften into the resigned apathy and the acceptance of them inevitably reconciling. It always happened like that, just like it always happened that when any of her friends became aware of the couple breaking it off there would always be an unavoidable comment that <em>she </em>had caused it.</p><p><em>Oh Bulma, you chased off Yamcha </em>again<em>? Why do you bother getting mad, you're just going to get back together anyway,</em> the mocking voice that wasn't distinctly a particular person sneered in her mind. <em>You just can't stop yourself, can you? You love the drama and the attention you'll get until he loses interest again.</em></p><p><em>He was letting groupies paw him right in front of me,</em> her thoughts argued back. <em>And he didn't see a problem. He's an idiot. I can't let him charm his way back into my life that way again.</em></p><p>Bulma raked a brush through her hair with aggressive movements, telling herself over and over that if she saw Yamcha she couldn't engage with him about that. She wanted to absolutely break the cycle of expecting him to beg for forgiveness, letting it happen, and then forgiving him after she was satisfied he beat himself up enough. It was a sickening cycle when she observed it with a detached perspective, the process of fools too scared to let something that stagnated a long time ago finally rest.</p><p><em>You're too </em>old<em> for that,</em> she told herself bitterly as she tested different outfit combinations and applied her lip gloss. <em>You both are.</em> She repeated the thought as she decided on a white jacket with white shorts, accentuated by a blue tube top to smooth out her silhouette. She repeated it even as she looked herself in the mirror and smirked, winking at her reflection. "You may be getting older, but Bulma Briefs you <em>still</em> look fantastic!" she sang, spinning herself around in a circle.</p><p>She paused when she caught sight of the inner pocket of her coat as it swung around her.</p><p>After a moment, she took a capsule case out of her drawer and pocketed it. After a breath of hesitation, she palmed a gun hidden deeper in her drawer and put it in her other pocket.</p><p>One could call her paranoid but after her experiences in her dreams and her waking world, no amount of preparation was too much for any situation.</p>
<hr/><p>It was a dream that didn't come to Raditz very often, any time spent sleeping for him was rare unless spent in the pods, but it was a memory he knew very well regardless. Himself as a child on Earth looking for his brother along with Vegeta the first time, they were stopped by a girl—just a stupid, little, harmless <em>Earthling</em> and yet she stood up to them with a gun held in her hands and threatened them. Told them to leave <em>or else</em>.</p><p>Raditz had scoffed then, humorously told her to run along and play somewhere else as he patted her on the head—she wasn't a threat, of course, she was just plain <em>adorable</em>.</p><p>He had thought that, at least, until a bright flash of light and searing pain woke him up from the unpleasant memory.</p><p>That's right, he thought with some irony when he realized his pod had landed, jolting him out of the suspended animation. He was back on Earth looking for Kakarot <em>again.</em></p><p>This time, however, it would be different. He proved it to himself as well when he caught the bullet of an annoying local and threw it back at him. No <em>guns</em> would bring him down this time, he would be more cautious, he would—</p><p>"Huh. No, you're not Kakarot," Raditz mumbled to himself, half-distracted while he recalibrated his scouter. The being he had run into was certainly not a Saiyan but a Namekian, it was insisting on squalling questions at him about who he was and where he had come from, what were his intentions. Boring. Wouldn't <em>stop</em> talking, seemed to be ready to square up for a fight. He felt a smirk pull at his lips—well, if the slug was going to insist on fighting then Raditz would show it just a glimpse of his own power.</p><p>Or he would have until his scouter detected another strong power level further off over the ocean. It must have been Kakarot. With renewed determination he blew past the Namekian to seek out the direction of the power.</p><p>
  <em>I'll find you this time, Kakarot. When I do, I'll…I'll…</em>
</p><p>He would…what? Not what his mother wanted him to do, obviously, she had said with some vagueness to "take care of Kakarot." She had a different idea of what taking care of meant than the usual Saiyan, however. Gine was a bit of an unusual specimen among Saiyans in that she was gentle. <em>Bizarre</em>, he told himself now to deny that he hadn't minded how loving and kind she was when he was a child. <em>Weak</em>, he told himself again to deny that he knew with certainty that his parents were <em>very</em> different from other Saiyans and he <em>really</em> hadn't minded it.</p><p>Except, there was a possibility that Kakarot might have ended up the same as their mother, especially if Earth remained decidedly intact and <em>unconquered</em>.</p><p>That wouldn't do, he insisted, if Kakarot was to join them on the mission going forward he <em>had</em> to be a tougher, <em>proper </em>Saiyan.</p><p>He stopped over a small island in the middle of the ocean, observing with some interest that Kakarot had people with him down below and they were all looking back up at him as if <em>expecting</em> his arrival. Curious—could they have sensed him? He looked over them quickly and noted four adults and one child, four males and one female.</p><p>"Kakarot," Raditz rumbled as he landed. "What have you been doing this past couple of years?"</p><p>Kakarot was the spitting image of their father, which Raditz commented on immediately to ignore the painful wrench in his gut at the sight. Kakarot showed no recognition of the name or even of him personally, he only demanded in a voice strained by intimidation and aggression that Raditz identify himself.</p><p>"You can't be serious?" he scoffed, now sure of his own concerns that Kakarot had fully inherited their mother's soft nature. "Kakarot is your <em>name</em> and I am Raditz, your brother." He explained, he explained as much as he could with as much detail as possible—maybe that would jog Kakarot's memory.</p><p>No good. The bald one accused him of being drunk and received a smack with his tail in return, prompting a shriek from the woman, hurting Raditz's ears and—for a moment—turning his attention to her and the child she cradled in her arms.</p><p>The child had a tail—Kakarot's offspring? He was about to comment when he realized that the woman was <em>glaring</em> at him as she held the boy close.</p><p>That stare of hate and anger…he had seen it before…no…it couldn't be…</p><p>But it <em>was</em>.</p><p>"It's—" He stepped back, cold as though he had been abruptly dumped into the ocean itself. "It's—it's <em>you</em>!" he howled, pointing an accusing finger at the woman.</p><p>Raditz wasn't sure if it was him pointing at her or the call, she reached into her pocket the moment he moved and drew out a weapon.</p><p>He thought he had been prepared for this moment. He thought that he would have had the confidence to face her down even if they met again.</p><p>Nothing could have truly prepared him for when the moment came.</p><p><em>No! That can't happen again!</em> He turned, prepared to fly off when the crackle of electricity and the smell of ozone filled the air, shooting right into his shoulder, heating up his scouter to such a painful degree he cursed and tore it off before retreating. He didn't know which direction he was going, he just had to <em>get away</em> before she could fire again and do so much worse than before.</p>
<hr/><p>The moment after the alien that claimed to be Goku's brother fled, Bulma realized that she had acted with some memorized motion, some impulse from years past that hit her the moment she locked eyes with the man.</p><p>It was <em>him</em>, he had <em>come back</em> and—go figure—he was Goku's brother. Goku was an alien.</p><p>Her hands were shaking, adrenaline pumping through her body, the roar of her heartbeat in her own ears pulled her back to that time some twenty-plus years ago when she had chased the two alien boys off Earth. She realized when she came back to the present that she had a vice grip around Gohan's waist and everyone at the island was staring at her.</p><p>The man was gone.</p><p>"Bulma…?" Goku spoke first, eyes wide.</p><p>She took a deep gasping breath as if bringing herself up from drowning, dropping the gun and throwing her other arm around Gohan to pull him into a hug.</p><p>"Are you okay?" she whispered into his hair, unsure if she was asking herself or the boy. "Are you okay?" she asked again.</p><p>"I'm okay, Miss Bulma," he whimpered back.</p><p>"Bulma," Goku repeated, now at her side, kneeling to be at level with the both of them. "What happened there? Did…have you two met before?"</p><p>Bulma released Gohan when she felt him begin to pull against her, wanting to seek the comfort of his father. She solemnly looked up at her friend, at a loss for how to explain all of what just transpired just a moment ago even while Roshi and Krillin joined them in the impromptu huddle.</p><p>"I…" For the first time in a couple of years, Bulma Briefs was genuinely at a loss for words. "I think we need to call the rest of our friends before anything else."</p><p>Krillin gave her a suspicious look which Bulma returned with a warning glare that he had better <em>not</em> say what she <em>knew </em>he was thinking. There was no time for throwing around petty comments about relationship nonsense, there was shit to get done and <em>Bulma fucking Briefs</em> would be the one to do it.</p><p>But first, before she forgot, Bulma retrieved the device Raditz had on his ear that had been blown off by her shot. The chatter of her friends became a buzz around her while she examined the machine, determining it must have been some sort of communication device in addition to allowing the tracking of a person by their power level. Interesting. They weren't wearing this the last time there were on Earth, the two boys, but they weren't <em>boys</em> anymore, were they? If Raditz was grown and came back, that meant he had the capability of contacting the other one, the one she actually spoke with.</p><p>Bulma frowned, trying to sort through her memories the same way as she sorted through the wires to assess what damage the device had taken. The boy had a unique appearance, that much she could say, armor much like Raditz wore though he had his tail loose and wore a blue bodysuit. She remembered he had a stern-looking face, black angular eyes framed by equally black eyebrows. His hair stood out most, however, literally and figuratively as it stood straight up in an almost flame shape, offset by boyish bangs covering what looked to be a tall forehead.</p><p><em>"You made that?"</em> he had asked her, his voice gave the impression of trying to sound mature and older than he actually was though he couldn't have been more than a year apart from her. <em>"How…old are you?"</em></p><p>He was trying to remain detached and serious but even Bulma at five years old could see he was nervous. The façade cracked immediately when Bulma answered, frankly, that she was five. He panicked, he babbled something about it meaning that Earth's army must be <em>really</em> strong as he fled whilst dragging Raditz's unconscious form.</p><p>—"Bulma?" Goku's voice came back into her distant musings, he seemed to have noticed she wasn't paying attention to the rest of them. "What are you doing now?"</p><p>"I'm going to reconfigure this for my use," she answered, seeing no sense in keeping it all inside her head for the gravity of the situation. "It looks like it's a communication and tracking device, it must be how he found you and how he'd relay information to anybody else."</p><p>Bulma left it there despite Goku giving her that frown he only got when he suspected there was more going on; her eyes deliberately remaining turned from him might have been so she wouldn't have to witness that look. Krillin supplied that they had managed to raise Yamcha over the phone, a feat in itself considering he had been staying at Tien's farm off and on. The two, along with Chiaotzu and Puar, would be coming over as soon as possible. Bulma found herself smirking at what a twisted means brought them <em>all</em> back together—it seemed that was their only connection. Like an atom, all components of the same whole yet circling apart from each other around the same nucleus of "the Earth is in danger."</p><p>"And <em>then</em> what?" a stern voice intoned from above them. "What are you to do if that man calls his companions?"</p><p>Oh. <em>Wonderful,</em> Bulma thought unable to suppress her scream as she turned her eyes to the sky and saw Piccolo floating above them. Automatically, she reached out and gripped Goku's arm, leaning into his equally automatic reaction of holding his arm out to shuffle her behind him. "What are <em>you</em> doing here?" she couldn't help but snap back.</p><p>Goku agreed, continuing her statement: "If you're here to fight, Piccolo, now's not the time, okay?"</p><p>"While it's still on my agenda to deal with <em>you</em>," Piccolo sneered, directing a sharp look to him, "There are more pressing matters to attend to. This 'Raditz'—" He turned his gaze to Bulma, continuing to hold it as he landed on the beach with the softest <em>thud</em>. "He's been here before, judging by your reactions to each other."</p><p>"He has," Bulma confirmed Piccolo's statement, eyeing him warily. "I'll explain everything when the rest of our friends get here."</p><p>"I'm aware of that, too," he quipped back with a dramatic roll of his eyes. "I will wait for your cavalcade of freaks."</p><p>She bit back her retort of the irony that Piccolo would call <em>them</em> freaks considering he was a <em>demon</em> spawned from an egg spit out by his father. It wasn't the time for that and by god did they <em>need</em> time now more than ever.</p><p>Bulma palmed her gun first, then the device she had been working on with a gentleness it almost didn't deserve considering where it came from. <em>I'm going to find out what you're all up to,</em> she thought. <em>And I'm going to make you regret ever thinking you could set foot on </em>my<em> planet again.</em></p>
<hr/><p>
  
</p><p>Raditz landed sooner or later, panting heavily from the effort of his blind rush to escape, gripping his shoulder with one hand while trying to figure out what to do next.</p><p>What <em>happened</em>, he practiced so much more caution than that! But he saw Kakarot, he heard the story of how the imbecile hit his head and lost his memories, and <em>he</em> just lost all of his composure.</p><p>Then, <em>then</em>, then—that <em>woman</em>! That detestable little girl had grown up into a woman associated with <em>his brother</em>—maybe <em>his</em> woman? It happened too fast to tell, it seemed Kakarot had a child which only could have meant that Earthlings and Saiyans were biologically compatible. The woman was cradling the child with the protectiveness that he assumed an Earth mother would show.</p><p><em>Some way of meeting an in-law,</em> he thought ironically with a harsh bark of a laugh.</p><p>He checked his shoulder again—it wasn't bad, just a burn, no broken skin or blisters. He wanted to believe that it meant he was once and for all immune to the woman's attacks but tempered that with caution that she very well might have had it on a lower setting. The <em>last</em> weapon she used had created a gigantic explosion along with injuring him, this one was more refined in use and range from what little he could gather in that flash of a moment.</p><p>He needed to report back, Raditz realized this with a bitter taste in his mouth, reaching into the front of his armor to pull out the remote for his pod. He didn't know how long it would take for the pod to reach his position, especially when he didn't know the exact coordinates, how far he was from where he landed. Unfortunately, it was the next best choice to getting into contact with Vegeta and Nappa after the loss of his scouter.</p><p>Raditz grimaced at the idea of sharing the news with the two elites. Very likely neither of them would care that he had failed to get Kakarot as he had set out to do, equally likely they had just sent him on this "mission" to get rid of him for a while. Vegeta made it no secret that he didn't give a damn what Raditz did or where he went. Nappa at least cared a little bit more about his status, but not in an icky <em>sentimental</em> way of course.</p><p>Still…what would Vegeta say when he told him that he had encountered <em>the girl</em>?</p><p>He took in a hissing breath, stumbling for a moment as a shock of pain shot through his shoulder. "Dammit…this is pathetic," he muttered.</p><p>Then he paused, looking up at where he had arrived.</p><p>It appeared to be a farm of sorts, a modest layout of fields around him with unfamiliar crops, and a couple of scattered equally-modestly sized huts with one slightly bigger house in the middle of it all.</p><p>He waited for someone to come out and react to his presence like the Earthling before had.</p><p>No one came.</p><p>Thus, Raditz concluded, no one was home. Perhaps they wouldn't mind if he took the liberty of going through their supplies to get something to eat as well as treat his wounds and rest for a little while.</p><p>He made his way up the short steps and puzzled over the style of the door for a moment before figuring out that it had to be slid open. How strange, how archaic—was Earth really so far behind? He wondered this and several other things while he navigated the rooms until finding first what looked to be a restroom. Digging through the cabinets yielded a basic first aid kit that had bandages yet no burn salve, Raditz frowned at the lacking supplies before turning his attention to a strange potted plant situated on the floor. It smelled odd and had spines jutting out from the leaves, Raditz reached out experimentally and broke one off, almost jumping back in surprise when a viscous fluid oozed out onto his hand.</p><p>The smell was terrible but the feeling of it on his skin was…cooling. Possessed with an abnormal inclination, the Saiyan dabbed some of the liquid on his burn. "Oh, <em>wow</em>," he sighed in relief, taking a little bit more to treat the rest of his burn. "Okay, weird solution, but I won't complain," he said to himself. "Now let's see what they've got for food next…"</p>
<hr/><p>Several lightyears away, on a newly desolated planet of a dark and swampy variety, Prince Vegeta sat on what seemed to be the only solid ground there was within a couple of miles at a makeshift campfire eating his equally makeshift meal.</p><p>Makeshift meal that happened to be one of the newly-deceased inhabitants of the planet. But one took what one got when it came to long campaigns, especially with the appetite of a Saiyan.</p><p>His right-hand man, Nappa, sat at his side, not eating but rather staring into the fire in contemplation. "Do you suppose Raditz made contact with Kakarot?" Nappa asked after a moment.</p><p>Vegeta sneered and spat out a particularly hard and unpleasant viscera of the corpse. "Who cares?"</p><p>And really, who did? Vegeta might have been the prince of their practically extinct race, he might have faintly felt some obligation as such, but of course he quashed it with the reminder that it was a useless feeling to have. He was inherently superior to them all anyway and didn't care. Saiyans didn't <em>care</em>. That was a weakness they evolved out of ages ago for the sake of fighting and becoming stronger.</p><p>Raditz never shut up about Kakarot and was visibly falling behind in their current mission, so Vegeta found it prudent to send him on a made up "mission" to retrieve Kakarot so he could "assist."</p><p>Completely unnecessary, of course, as without Raditz holding them back the two elites were able to finish the purge in a matter of a couple of days. Would have been hours if not for the unusual terrain and unpleasant environment of the planet itself.</p><p>Nappa made a disgruntled grumble rather than wording a reply, a sound he usually made when he disagreed with something Vegeta did or said, which was naturally <em>ignored</em>. They didn't need to get into a longer conversation reminding Nappa about what the consequences of questioning Vegeta were, the old man almost didn't survive the first time and <em>wouldn't</em> have had not Raditz intervened with pathetic begging.</p><p>A crackle cutting into his scouter pulled Vegeta from his thoughts, he dropped the arm of his meal and touched the device's button to get a better signal.</p><p><em>"Vegeta, come in!"</em> Raditz's voice slightly tinny came in over the speaker.</p><p>"Go ahead," Vegeta confirmed brusquely as Nappa shifted to tune in his own scouter.</p><p><em>"Vegeta…"</em> a rush of static accompanied the statement. <em>"I found Kakarot, but he doesn't remember anything. And…"</em></p><p>More static, Vegeta glared at nothing in particular since Raditz wasn't there. All he could catch were stammers that he was communicating through his pod radio since his scouter had been lost. "Say again," he ordered.</p><p><em>"Vegeta…it's </em>her<em>."</em></p><p>His hand fell from his scouter to his lap, muscles slackened, a rush of <em>something</em> shooting through his nerves at a memory abruptly hitting him from so long ago—just a ridiculous, childish, <em>nothing</em> sort of happening and yet all he remembered were blue eyes staring defiantly at him and—</p><p>
  <em>"Vegeta? Vegeta? Do you copy?"</em>
</p><p>"Copy." Oh, he heard, but he didn't <em>understand</em>—he understood nothing of what he was feeling or what he wanted to do next. Something was possessing him as he spoke, his voice didn't even sound like it belonged to him as he continued: "Hold your position. We're coming."</p><p>
  <em>"But—"</em>
</p><p>"Do as I <em>say</em>, Raditz, or <em>else</em>."</p><p>
  <em>"…Understood. Raditz out."</em>
</p><p>The silence that filled the air after the scouters shut off was deafening. Nappa spoke first with a question Vegeta knew was inevitable: "Vegeta? <em>Her…</em>?"</p><p>He clicked his teeth together, irritated, warm, tail lashing though it was out of the ordinary for <em>any</em> of them to gesture with their tails after so long. Making open gestures like that simply wasn't smart, it was childish even, and yet he didn't know what else to do with the nervous static building up inside.</p><p><em>Her</em>, Vegeta's tail fur stood on end. If Nappa noticed he didn't comment—knew <em>better</em> than to comment. Vegeta composed himself, wrapped his tail back around his waist, and rose up from his seated position to head towards his pod. "I will explain on the way," he clipped. "But I will only explain it <em>once</em>, Nappa, do you understand?"</p><p>"Of course, Vegeta…"</p><p>Her, he thought again, roughly sitting back in his pod. <em>Her</em>, his thoughts began to race with what <em>she</em> had been up to over the years. They swirled around in a maelstrom of anger mixed with uncharacteristic nervousness as he explained in monotone to Nappa the encounter he had experienced as a child.</p><p>Fury. Anticipation. Humiliation.</p><p>
  <em>Revenge.</em>
</p>
<hr/><p><em>They would surely want revenge, if Saiyans are really so vicious,</em> Bulma thought with a distant acceptance as she watched her friends (plus Piccolo) cram themselves around the tiny table in Kame House. Usually they would be seated all close together to share stories of fun and a good meal, sadly there was nothing fun about what was happening now and grim expressions to be shared.</p><p>It was less awkward than she thought seeing Yamcha again after their last dramatic breakup. Must have had something to do with the turbulent thoughts she ruminated on keeping her usually sharp tongue in its sheath. Goku, Krillin, and Roshi did their best to fill in what happened with the Raditz encounter up until he made eye contact with Bulma.</p><p>Goku was holding Gohan securely in his lap, the heavy implications of his true origins weighing down his normally happy and carefree demeanor.</p><p>Piccolo supplied his own experience with Raditz, mentioning that he had referred to him as a "Namekian"—whatever that was.</p><p>Bulma filed all of this away in her mental notes, allowing it to pass over as she took a deep breath to share her part in the twisted tale. "Okay…first of all. I know Piccolo won't care, but I've never told any of you that I have a sister."</p><p>The reaction was as she expected, ranging from the dull surprise of Tien to the outburst from Yamcha to Roshi piping up, "Well, is she cute?"</p><p>"Of course she is, she's <em>my sister</em>," Bulma snapped back. "Even though she's not as cute as me, she's still too good for any of you—especially <em>you</em>, old man."</p><p>She was next to certain Tights wasn't even interested in men anyway, she had never had a boyfriend or even expressed interest that way in all the years Bulma had known her.</p><p>"Some companions you lot are," Piccolo jeered, "You don't even tell each other such basic facts and meet between several <em>years</em>."</p><p>He was right so Bulma wouldn't bother commenting on it. The rest looked like they wanted badly to argue but could not summon up anything to shoot down Piccolo's point.</p><p>"At any rate," she brought them back to the subject at hand with a dismissive wave. "Tights is an author—"</p><p>"I know!" Puar piped up excitedly, waving their little paws. "Turtle reads her books! He showed me some!"</p><p>Bulma smoothed out her expression into an affectionate smile and patted the small feline-like creature gently. Her expression soon faded back into serious, however, as she took her hand away. Puar frowned worriedly at the sudden change, directing a look to Yamcha before situating themself into her lap for their version of comfort. "Tights is smart…" Bulma continued, resuming stroking Puar's soft fur as she spoke. "She graduated from high school and university early like I did…but the thing was, she was never interested in engineering like Dad and I happened to be…her thing was writing. And she explored everywhere she could to get ideas, so…"</p><p>Thus, Bulma told the story of how the teenage Tights met up with a hermit of an old man on an island after being rescued by an unusual being that called himself Jaco—the Galactic Patroller. "Ohmori was working on time travel," she noted with some distance, "Something expressly forbidden by Galactic Law—not that anybody on Earth would know that."</p><p>"It should be common sense," Tien interjected, practical as usual. "Messing around with time like that is borrowing too much trouble to be beneficial."</p><p>Roshi nodded solemnly in agreement, Bulma only rolled her eyes. Her scientist brain thought far too differently from the more spiritual aspects of her martial artist friends.</p><p>"Whatever, Jaco wasn't even there for that, it just ended up being incidental. He was trying to run interference on an alien pod landing." She directed a look to Goku whose mouth formed a little "o" of surprise.</p><p>He pointed at his chest, a question in his eyes. She answered the question with a nod.</p><p>"No way!" Goku exclaimed. He paused, frowning a little before asking: "…Then how did he miss me?"</p><p>"Because he's a moron," Bulma snorted. "After all that he ended up being more impressed by the gun I built and I fixed his ship." She tilted her head to the side, remembering that he had offered her a position in the Galactic Patrol, which sounded fun but didn't seem to be in the cards anymore. "Another pod came sometime after, I was the one who saw it land. When I got there, two boys had come out of it."</p><p>"And one of them was Raditz?" Gohan meekly piped up.</p><p>She nodded, trying to smile though it felt so strained and weak even someone as young as Gohan could have probably picked up on how forced it was. "They were looking for someone…I guess they were looking for Goku. I told them to leave or else. Raditz wasn't taking me seriously and just, like," she demonstrated what Raditz did by condescendingly patting Puar on the head, whose ears flattened in distaste. "So, I blasted him in the face with my gun."</p><p>A tense and shocked silence fell over the group at the casual declaration, only broken by Piccolo chuckling. "He deserved that," he said with a smirk.</p><p>"Tch, yeah I know!" As strange as it was for her to agree with Piccolo of all people, stranger things had happened before and would continue to.</p><p>Goku pursed his lips in thought, tilting his head to one side in the exaggerated pondering expression he got when considering something hard. "You know, that sounds like how we met, Bulma," he observed.</p><p>"I guess it runs in the family," Krillin joked, a tense and lopsided grin making itself known on his face.</p><p>"You said <em>boys</em>, though," Yamcha pointed out. "Then Raditz had someone with him?"</p><p>"Mmhm, he had the aura like he was in charge," Bulma noted, thinking again of the boy with the unusual hair. "If what Raditz said was true about him being sent to retrieve Goku, it's likely that guy gave the order. If it weren't for him ditching this—" She indicated the scouter on the table which was now in a mild state of disrepair—"I would be more worried about him contacting the other boy—man. Still, I don't know what he's capable of just running around in the wild like that."</p><p>"Then what do we do now? There's no way we could fight him," Yamcha sighed, "We all sensed his power, he's crazy strong."</p><p>"True enough," Piccolo conceded, "Him being terrified of your scientist here happened to be a lucky fluke. Who knows how long it will take for him to get his bearings and strike again?"</p><p>"For now," she interrupted, placing her hands heavily on the table to push herself up (Puar tumbled out of her lap and immediately had to right themself). "I'm going to keep working on the scouter, maybe I can use it to track <em>him</em>. You all just go back home and keep an eye out, <em>call me</em> if something happens, or—" She directed a look to the demon among them—"Use telepathy, I guess."</p><p>"Go home?" Goku frowned, squeezing Gohan a little tighter to him. "He can't track me to my home, that's true enough, but what if he goes around hurting other people?"</p><p>She shook her head, putting her previously discarded jacket back on while she went. "I don't think he will, Goku, he was here for you."</p><p>Bulma was already turning her back when another point that she didn't want to think of but had to acknowledge as valid came.</p><p>"And…what about you? What about that 'other' person?" Goku asked. "What if Raditz tries to find and hurt you? What if the <em>other</em> Saiyan comes?"</p><p><em>What if, what if, what if</em>—Bulma considered so many what ifs in her life, it was the scientist part of her, it was the part of her that had known since she was very young that she would have to protect herself from predators. The part of her that warily watched any men that came into contact with her to check if their body language, their <em>gaze</em> would change to that greedy hunger.</p><p>This was no different, whether a man wanted to take advantage of her body or wanted to kill her, Bulma would react the same way. <em>It's</em> <em>them or me, and they don't see me as a person.</em></p><p>"I will deal with it."</p><p>Whether someone was with her or not, Bulma Briefs would deal with the problem and Bulma Briefs would get shit <em>done</em>.</p><p>Yet, it seemed Goku didn't want to let the subject drop as he followed after her to the sandy shores of the island, phasing in front of her after she tossed out the capsule to her plane. "What the hell, Goku," she groaned, not even summoning up enough outrage to say it very loud.</p><p>"Bulma." Goku scowled, the dark and heavy furrow of his brows marring his boyishly handsome face, then grasped her by the shoulders to peer deeply into her eyes. "I promised. I promised I'd always be in your corner to protect ya. Why won'tcha let me do it now?" The concern was causing his control over his speech to loosen, it seemed, back into that charming hick accent she had always known him to have since they were kids. "You're not alone just 'cause we been apart so long."</p><p>He had asked her once, Bulma remembered as she stared back at her dear friend Son Goku, he had asked her why she was insistent on having someone else protect her. Why him, in particular, since he was the one most consistently with her. <em>"Y'can look after yourself, can't ya? I've seen ya do it—the first time we met, too! So why do ya need me?"</em></p><p>She had paused in between doing something idle—brushing her hair, straightening her clothes, something like that—and sighed wistfully. Tired. Exhausted, really. She had looked back at him with a gaze of frustration and loneliness born only from someone that had <em>known</em> for too long from too young an age that she would always be someone's prey. Always. Bulma was just the stupid spoiled little rich girl, after all, who really cared if someone tried to take advantage of her kindness? She was just a hysterical <em>girl</em>, and she flirted so much <em>anyway</em>, she was probably <em>lying </em>that some adult tried to take advantage <em>of </em>her, after all. It was her fault, most likely, if she would just stop being so troublesome, so loud, so—</p><p>
  <em>"Maybe I want someone to look out for me for once…"</em>
</p><p>One thing about Son Goku that quite a few either ignored or took for granted, he was skilled with detecting emotions. He didn't express it the same way as others, of course, he wouldn't have been able to learn <em>how</em> with the death of his grandfather at such an early age. Nonetheless he took the appropriate cues and learned, changed, grew so quickly.</p><p>At the time, he placed his hands on her shoulders as he did in the present and stared into her eyes with determination.</p><p>
  <em>"I didn't know. Y'don't gotta do it alone anymore, Bulma, y'got me. I'll always be there for ya, I promise."</em>
</p><p>Maybe under different circumstances Bulma could have fallen in love with Goku, as it stood she only looked at him with the affection of an older sister to her kid brother and gave him a wisp of a smile.</p><p>"You looked after me for so long, Goku…but now, it looks like trouble found us again."</p><p>"You always did say that trouble followed me," he chuckled, pulling her into a hug. "Please don't shut us out, Bulma. Don't shut <em>me</em> out. I know y'feel like it's your responsibility, but we're <em>all</em> in it together."</p><p>Electrons should not touch, Bulma thought as she returned Goku's embrace. Electrons repelled each other, she thought. That was what they were, surrounding the "protect the Earth" nucleus, weren't they?</p><p>Only, they were never in it specifically to be <em>heroes</em>; they had been slotted into that role by circumstance, by necessity, by other people declaring them as such at a young age. They didn't go out of their way to right the wrongs of the world, it was only common sense to keep innocent people safe and protect their home. It was just the right thing to do.</p><p>
  <em>Perhaps…</em>
</p><p>"Stay at Capsule Corp. tonight," she found herself saying. "Bring Chi-Chi and Gohan. Let's…try to get our heads around this alien situation."</p><p>"Okay."</p><p>
  <em>Okay.</em>
</p><p>It would be okay.</p>
<hr/><p>Things were definitely <em>not</em> okay with Raditz.</p><p>He had cleaned out the food storages and found himself falling asleep in one of the beds—strangely content overall despite being trapped on an alien planet. He was starting to entertain the faint hope that whoever lived on the farm wouldn't come back and that the other two Saiyans wouldn't come so he could simply relax there forever. Nobody would be able to find him anyway, he wistfully thought.</p><p>Until reality came crashing down and he heard the sliding of the doors, signaling that his peace was coming to an end and the occupants were returning.</p><p>He stiffened, feeling his tail bristle as he sat up, trying to decide what to do next—run? Running was good, before they saw him, he didn't know what exactly <em>anybody</em> was capable of now without the use of his scouter. Raditz listened as voices, muffled by the walls, said something he feared would come to be.</p><p>"Hold on. Someone's here."</p><p>He didn't realize it was possible for him to coil any tighter—no, he wasn't doing it himself, he realized, something had a <em>hold</em> of him and was keeping him still. "What's the meaning of this?!" Raditz howled, trying to break free.</p><p>"You two forgot I could do that," the high-pitched voice of someone teased the others as they finally made their appearance.</p><p>Raditz, though he struggled, stared back at the men he was now facing. The two were reasonably tall and fit, most likely fighters themselves, dressed in odd almost archaic seeming clothes that he could only guess was the usual Earth style. The shorter man took him aback most at first glance with his unruly black hair and black eyes, the scars on his face, he could <em>almost</em> be taken for a Saiyan until Raditz noticed he had no tail. The other was tall and broad (unusually so, he thought only <em>Nappa</em> had shoulders <em>that</em> wide) with a sterner demeanor than the first, <em>three</em> eyes staring right at him with displeasure.</p><p><em>The Three-Eyed? I thought they died out years ago? </em>Raditz thought, supposing that some made it to Earth before totally fading into the bloodlines of Earthlings. He shifted again, trying to break free only to see a small figure in front of the two men raise up its hands, strengthening the psychic hold on him. He groaned, unable to believe that he was at the mercy of a small doll-like being that only stared blankly at him as though he were nothing more than a bug.</p><p>"Hey dude," said the first man, holding up his hands in a gesture of placation. "Let's relax, okay. We know who you are, but there doesn't have to be a fight. Are you still hungry?"</p><p>The three-eyed man gave him a look as though he had grown an extra head. Raditz could not answer except for the grumble of his half-filled and very much unsatisfied Saiyan stomach. He wanted to punch himself in the gut, as per his usual reaction, to remind himself that being half-full was <em>the norm</em> and he shouldn't expect more.</p><p>But…they were offering…if they knew who he was, <em>what</em> he was then they must have known…</p><p>"You're insane," Raditz said bluntly. "You know I wouldn't hesitate to kill you."</p><p>"I mean, we can always talk about that over lunch," the man laughed, grinning in a way that Raditz would almost find charming if he was anyone besides some weird Earthling.</p><p>"It looks like you ate everything here," the three-eyed man finally spoke with an accepting but annoyed look.</p><p>Why were they being so…casual? The one with the scars on his face was even <em>staring at him</em> with an odd expression that Raditz came to realize was <em>affection</em>. "Wh-what are you looking at?!" he blustered, tail fur standing on end.</p><p>"Sorry man, just…" he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "That confused and hungry look you got, it's totally Goku to a T!"</p><p>"He doesn't look <em>that</em> much like Goku, Yamcha," something whimpered from out of view—Raditz glanced over to see a small feline-like creature peeking around the corner nervously. "He's…meaner."</p><p>"He's <em>jacked</em>," Yamcha snorted with a good-natured slant. "Chi-Chi would probably have to cook for ages if Goku wanted to bulk up like him! Right, Tien?"</p><p>Apparently, Tien was the three-eyed man as he sighed and shrugged. "Look, you're the one who's going to have to call Bulma and tell her, okay? You're the one who's—"</p><p>Yamcha gave him a look, causing Tien to immediately shut up with an almost awkward cough.</p><p><em>Her</em>. A flash of panic raced through Raditz's blood—<em>it must be that woman!</em> Of course! Of <em>course</em> they knew her too if she knew Kakarot! "You're turning me in," he growled, "So she can finish the job and kill me. I warn you, though, there's more besides me coming—my two companions—"</p><p>"Whoa, whoa, <em>whoa</em>, dude!" Yamcha interrupted the tirade with a wave of his hands whilst the others in the room stared at the Saiyan with their mouths comically agape. "One thing at a time! Bulma isn't gonna <em>kill</em> you! I'll talk to her, we'll all just chill out and have lunch—th-then we can talk about your other buddies coming."</p><p>He fumbled nervously quite a lot while speaking and yet…Raditz didn't detect any dishonesty.</p><p><em>What…?</em> The Earthlings just wanted to…talk to him? But Saiyans didn't settle things by <em>talking and eating</em>—although the eating part was very, very tempting. What would Vegeta say about him just calmly talking to the Earthlings as though they were buddy-buddy all of a sudden? Especially with <em>her</em> among them!</p><p>Yamcha held out his hand to Raditz, giving that dangerously charming smile again. "Come on, dude. Just give us a chance, huh? We can work this out. Bulma isn't scary at all once you get to know her, she's kind and a great friend."</p><p>In the end, Raditz's stomach won out over his apprehension and lack of trust in these strange men. He, having at least some give in his arm now that the doll was letting him, took the Earth man's hand.</p><p>"Fine. Just for a little while."</p>
<hr/><p>Vegeta could hear the voice of a woman over the scouter, he was in suspended animation yet he dreamed, lulled into an uncharacteristically peaceful state.</p><p><em>"What do you </em>mean<em> you invited him over to eat?!" </em>the woman shrieked at someone, who stammered apologies and said something about him being hungry. <em>"</em>Two<em> Saiyans?! Mom loves cooking for you guys but </em>this<em>—"</em></p><p>It was <em>her</em>, he faintly realized. The <em>girl</em>, the object of his humiliation that he was forced to recount to Nappa. The old man managed to contain his amusement, somehow, but still made a comment about how she sounded like she would make an excellent <em>partner</em>.</p><p>Vegeta punched him in the ribs but silently was relieved he didn't parade around that old-fashioned and utterly embarrassing word <em>mate</em>.</p><p>He listened to her speak for a while as he drifted, she prattled on with her companions about nonsense and then some. She berated Raditz often, much to his amusement, it seemed the buffoon was calming down in their presence.</p><p>(It was something Vegeta realized he had the feeling would happen, Raditz was always soft though he played at being tougher than he really was.)</p><p>When she was alone with the scouter was when she spoke of different things, much more complex than what she talked about elsewhere. She wasn't a soldier like her weapon would have signified when they were children, it shouldn't have been a surprise to Vegeta that the woman was actually an engineer. He couldn't see, yet could easily imagine diagrams and notes scattered around her as she worked.</p><p><em>"I've got it now…"</em> she muttered. <em>"So this is a communicator too, huh…? I wonder if that means you've been listening this whole time."</em></p><p><em>I have,</em> he answered in his thoughts. He couldn't picture her, not quite, all that was in his memory was the small girl with blue hair and blue eyes, holding a gun in both hands as it was too big for her, a determined scowl on her face. Some part of him was almost honestly curious about what it would be like facing each other again as adults—twenty-three years had passed by his calculation (though it was difficult to measure time when accounting for space travel) what would it...?</p><p>She interrupted his musings with a scoff: <em>"You've got a lot of nerve thinking you can come back to </em>my<em> planet."</em></p><p>He would have smirked if he was awake.</p><p>
  <em>"Not gonna lie, though, I'm a little curious to meet you…maybe once you see how gorgeous and brilliant I am now, you'll change your mind about wanting to be an asshole."</em>
</p><p>Ha. She was joking, right? Vegeta wasn't one to be bribed by the wiles of physical appearance or the promise of useless intimacy, he prided himself on his steadfast discipline and dedication to training alone. All told, he was more than likely incapable of feeling attraction to any species that wasn't a Saiyan due to his own elitism about the superiority of his bloodline. </p><p>(His insistence on the superiority of his bloodline was all he had, after all.)</p><p>She sighed, a rush of static accompanying the breath. <em>"Whatever, either way you're nuts if you think I'm going to just let you catch me off guard. Be prepared, hot stuff, I'm Bulma </em>fucking<em> Briefs and I'm going to make your life a living Hell."</em></p><p>He was torn between the reactions of eager anticipation and acknowledging his life was already a living Hell.</p><p><em>Bulma…what an abnormal name. Well, </em>Bulma<em>, no matter what you </em>think<em> you're doing I will make you regret what you did.</em></p>
<hr/><p>Overall, Bulma thought she handled Raditz being invited over to her house without permission much better than Goku did. <em>Goku</em> stood up with his fists raised ready to fight, unfortunately that led to Gohan crying in fear and Chi-Chi throwing a kettle at him as well as braining Raditz with her frying pan.</p><p>(She reminded herself later to talk to Chi-Chi about contracting her as a personal bodyguard.)</p><p>"Raditz." Bulma took a breath, mustering her detached professional demeanor as best she could. "This is Chi-Chi, Goku's wife, and Gohan, Goku's son."</p><p>"…Oh," said Raditz with a dumb, wide-eyed expression. "I, uh…I thought <em>you</em> were…"</p><p>He looked so out of place and lost Bulma almost felt sorry for him.</p><p>Almost, until she realized what he was getting at and felt her lip curl in distaste. "Don't even finish that sentence, Goku's like my brother."</p><p>She couldn't conceive such a scandalous thing! And what nerve to bring that up in front of Chi-Chi!</p><p>"What was he gonna say?" Goku whispered to her from her left, still sheepishly rubbing his head from where the now-dented kettle hit him.</p><p>(Raditz, meanwhile, looked offended at the very mention of the word "brother"—he might have stammered something like "he's not <em>your</em> brother!" while Goku spoke.)</p><p>Bulma rolled her eyes, tweaking Goku's nose and pushing him away. "Just go sit down and eat, Goku."</p><p>Gohan tugged at her pants, staring up at her with the cute helplessness of a baby deer. "Miss Bulma? Are you gonna be okay?"</p><p>"Of course, Gohan," she lied with a smile. "We're just going to sit down and have a talk with Uncle Raditz."</p><p>The kid was intelligent despite his age, while she didn't want to talk down to him in the same way she had been as a child it became increasingly necessary as the situation wore on. Poor Gohan, despite his perceptiveness and education already, remained very much innocent and sheltered. The guilt of scaring such a sweet boy would probably kill her.</p><p>Chi-Chi was notably tense as she worked, helping Panchy with making a feast, chopping vegetables so forcefully Bulma almost thought she was imagining they were something very personal of Raditz's.</p><p>But then reminded herself that Chi-Chi's pure heart was nearly comparable to her husband's, even while she was more realistic and pragmatic.</p><p>Yamcha sat Raditz down between himself and Tien, giving him a reassuring smile. Was this happening? Bulma sighed, shaking her head—they were going to try and convert the Saiyan to their side. No way. That would be like trying to get Piccolo to come over and be friends with them.</p><p>(She had the feeling Piccolo was nearby somehow, watching, noting what they were doing.)</p><p>"Your group is different than before," Raditz noted. "Where's the smaller bald guy?"</p><p>Surprised that he brought it up she might have been, Bulma only shrugged and mentioned he was back on the island keeping the old man occupied. "But that's not why we're here, Raditz. Tell me about your friends."</p><p>"They're not my friends," he quickly, almost defensively, interjected. "They're elites—Vegeta, my comrade from before, is our prince."</p><p>
  <em>…A prince, huh? </em>
</p><p>Come to think of it, it was strange how Bulma had become so fixated on finding <em>her prince</em> as a teenager, wasn't it…?</p><p>
  <em>Never mind.</em>
</p><p>"What was that crap about Saiyans sending off children to conquer Earth?" she pressed. "Goku was one of them?"</p><p>"…No," Raditz admitted, casting his eyes to his hands clenched in his lap. "Our parents sent Kakarot off…for a different reason."</p><p>"Then why'd ya storm in all hard and crazy like I messed up on some mission?" Goku huffed, sounding exasperated.</p><p>"Mom always said I had a problem with overreacting," Raditz muttered, now shifting around. "Look, I…you don't know what it's like, Kakarot, being around Saiyans way above your caste all the time."</p><p>Saiyans had a caste system…interesting. Raditz did mention before that Goku was bottom tier as far as power went, and if Raditz was in the same "caste" as Goku, what did that mean for the ones coming…? He called them "elite" after all, would even <em>Piccolo</em> have trouble with them? Bulma mused on the topic, tapping her fingers on the table and watching the men discuss.</p><p>"You were trying to force Goku into the idea of doing the same things you and the other Saiyans do," Tien said, "So you had company. Or at least your own subordinate."</p><p>"Gee," Goku sighed, "Couldn't we at least go to a baseball game instead? Yamcha plays, he could probably get us in one."</p><p>"Goku, you've <em>never</em> been interested in baseball!" Yamcha laughed. "Besides, it's not fair to leave Chi-Chi and Gohan behind."</p><p>"What in the <em>hell</em> is baseball?!" Raditz snarled, rubbing his temples. "This isn't psychoanalyze Raditz time!"</p><p>"I'm surprised you even know that word," was Tien's only comment in response. "But I agree nonetheless, explain to us your companions, without any posturing."</p><p>Raditz mumbled to himself, eyes flicking over to the food set down, tail twitching nervously. "Even though I was…leaving off why our parents sent away Kakarot…I was telling the truth about our planet. It's been gone for years, destroyed—there's only me, Kakarot, and my two companions left. And, uh…Garbanzo here, I guess."</p><p>"It's Gohan, sir," Gohan corrected gently.</p><p>The Saiyan's cheeks reddened, for what reason nobody could quite tell. He covered it up with blustering angrily—also interesting, Bulma noted it down. "Never mind! Look—the reason was…"</p><p>Ah, now Bulma realized what was bothering her about his posture, his demeanor.</p><p>He was experiencing grief.</p><p>"They sent away Goku to save him from the planet's destruction, they saw it coming somehow," she said, twisting a lock of hair despite it being too short to quite do that. "That's what you're getting at."</p><p>"That's <em>eerie</em>, woman," he said, appearing creeped out. "How did you—?" He broke off, shaking his head. "Never mind, you're right anyway, our parents were…" Raditz paused, staring up at the ceiling as though lost in thought, eyes glimmering unusually in the light of the room.</p><p>Goku canted his head towards his brother, sensing the change in mood and though plainly still wary of him asked: "You miss them?"</p><p>"N-no," Raditz lied through his teeth, shaking his head with such force that uncontrollable mane of his almost knocked over some furniture. "No! Of course not! Saiyans don't experience <em>sentimental feelings</em> like <em>grief</em>."</p><p>The brothers stared each other down, Goku with a solemn expression and Raditz with stubborn petulance.</p><p>"That's a lie," the former said with the air of absolute serenity. "You're lying. Our parents were different from other Saiyans and you just don't wanna admit that. You don't wanna admit <em>you're</em> different."</p><p>"B-because it's a weakness!" he sputtered in return.</p><p>"Are you saying your parents were weak, then?" Chiaotzu spoke up after his extended silent observation.</p><p>"Never!" Raditz growled, hair and tail fur nearly standing on end. "<em>Never</em> say that! They were strong!"</p><p>"So you admit they were strong but experienced sentimental feelings?" Chiaotzu caught the hapless Saiyan in his trap, sitting back and smiling with a sadistic amusement not witnessed from him since the old days.</p><p>Raditz had nothing to say to that.</p><p>Bulma rolled her eyes, sighing harshly. "We're going in circles here. Tien told you to stop screwing around with the bravado crap, Raditz, and <em>yet</em> here you are wasting our time." She glared at him, a look of zero mercy and cruelty she showed to very few people, certainly never around her friends.</p><p>It had an effect on the Saiyan invader, at least, with how he leaned away staring at her apprehensively.</p><p>"Stop fucking around and tell the truth," she ordered, the iciness in her tone severe enough to drop the temperature of the room if she had any measure of ki.</p><p>He shuddered. "Y-yes, ma'am."</p><p>Goku seemed to be the only one unsurprised and unaffected by Bulma's decree, staring at Raditz expectantly as he made it through his fifth rice bowl.</p>
<hr/><p>Yamcha had said the woman—Bulma—was kind and a good friend. Raditz didn't see any of that, he saw the presence of a terrifying and <em>formidable</em> being that had the experience of a leader. He looked into her eyes and <em>saw it,</em> that look that spoke of having been backed into a corner before and making the decision to end a life. He saw she wouldn't hesitate to end <em>his</em> life if he brought any sort of threat towards them.</p><p>She reminded him quite a lot of Vegeta (they were the same height, to boot!) except that she was softer and smelled nice, looked markedly <em>unique</em> compared to her friends—that bright blue hair standing out amongst a sea of black hair. She would have stood out on their planet, too, and <em>yet</em> no Saiyan would ever try to mess with her unless they were masochists.</p><p>(Although maybe they would have, Saiyans were known to love a good challenge, a fight, or the threat of death.)</p><p>Everything about being on Earth was…nothing like he had expected. While he had expected the planet to be decimated due to a Saiyan's natural instinct for destruction, he thought again, reminding himself that Kakarot <em>wasn't</em>sent for conquest. His pod wouldn't have had a recording telling him what his mission was in that case, from what Mom told him they had simply stolen a pod and sent Kakarot off.</p><p>Kakarot, who stared at him expectantly from across the table, looked so much like their father yet he had a softer quality to his face, his gestures, his expressions. When his wife touched his shoulder he smiled up at her and Raditz felt the pain like a shot to the chest at how much it reminded him of their mother.</p><p><em>Of course</em>, he thought ruefully, <em>of course we </em>both<em> ended up being </em>anomalies<em> like Mom was.</em></p><p>
  <em>Don't talk about Mom like that.</em>
</p><p>It was only her extended absence that made Raditz realize he had grown outwardly hostile to dismissive towards his parents. It had started immediately when they received the news of their planet's destruction, Raditz only casually mentioned that his mother had sent a final message and told him where Kakarot was. He took the cue from Vegeta, who only groaned that now he would never be king, despite the look of shock from Nappa at how cold the boys were being.</p><p>Wasn't that how proper grown-up Saiyans were supposed to be…? Then why did Nappa <em>look</em> at them like that?</p><p>Chi-Chi, Kakarot's wife, set down a cup in front of him. For a second, Raditz flinched, expecting that she would hit him again—that really <em>hurt</em> the first time! Leave it to Kakarot to find a woman strong enough to deal with the eccentricities of a Saiyan. She covered it up by being demure and playing the role of cook, but Raditz could see the tone and wear of hard work—she was a warrior, or at least frequently worked hard labor. The strike with her weapon left a <em>lump</em> on Raditz's head, hidden under his hair.</p><p>"It's tea," she said to him in a calm but commanding voice, "It'll quiet your nerves."</p><p>He didn't respond, only took the cup and drank. He knew what tea was, or at least a drink similar to it, boiled water steeping leaves of different types of plants. Whatever plant this was, it left a soothing sort of taste in his mouth, he concentrated on it while mulling over his next course of action.</p><p>"I was telling the truth, you look like our father," he finally said. "Bardock, he was a soldier. Our mother, Gine, was…different. She was as strong as any other Saiyan in the third class, but she didn't…like fighting. At least, she didn't like the Saiyan idea of fighting."</p><p>For absolute dominance and destruction.</p><p>That type of thing always made Gine sigh deeply with a forlorn expression as though she expected something <em>different</em>. "You remind me…much more of her, Kakarot."</p><p>"Do you hafta keep calling me Kakarot?" his brother finally sighed harshly. "My name is <em>Goku</em> here, can't ya—"</p><p>"I <em>will not</em>," Raditz snarled, squeezing the cup in his hands enough to shatter the thing. "<em>Our parents</em> gave you the name Kakarot and <em>that</em> is what I will call you—hate me about it if you want, I don't <em>care</em>, I will not insult their memory by calling you something else!"</p><p>Kakarot, seeming taken aback by the outburst, held up his hands in a placating gesture. "…Okay. Okay." He still made a face at being called a name he wasn't raised with, it was foreign to him Raditz could see, all of the things he was raised by being flipped upside down. He could…sympathize, in a sense, he supposed if he had the news dropped on him in such a way he wouldn't be so eager to accept either.</p><p>Yet, somehow, he had been…hoping for something <em>different</em>. That Kakarot would remember, that he <em>would</em> be more eager to join with him.</p><p>He reminded himself that hope was a useless emotion. Saiyans didn't <em>hope</em>.</p><p>"Keep going, Raditz," Bulma said to him, her tone quiet in contrast to the calculating look she was giving. "Your parents…?"</p><p>"They married," Raditz continued. "That was unusual for non-royal Saiyans, while bonding wasn't outside of our range I imagine it would still come off as 'cold' to you Earthlings, but marriage was <em>serious</em>. They tended to do a lot of things that was outside of what was expected for Saiyans. Things that Saiyans couldn't do."</p><p>"Couldn't, or wouldn't?" Bulma asked, tilting her head to the side in a show of that eerie command she held.</p><p>Damn.</p><p>"…Wouldn't. I suppose," he admitted. There was an <em>expectation</em> for Saiyans to be tough, he remembered, or he thought so, perhaps it was just Vegeta telling him that…? Then why was it so unexpected for Saiyans like Bardock and Gine to marry? If there was truly no expected show of emotion outside of anger and willingness to fight then why…</p><p>Had they been <em>lied</em> to? Was every expectation on the planet something fabricated? Something to present to other planets to boast strength but not among their own people?</p><p>He shook his head to cast away the contradictory thoughts and went on: "This is going nowhere. All right. Let me keep on."</p><p>And so, Raditz explained the whole story of the planet's destruction, their accord with Frieza and his army, what led up to Raditz coming to Earth to retrieve Kakarot specifically. The Earthlings, as expected, expressed distaste at the aspects of conquering—like they had any right to judge him, it was just a <em>job</em> like anything else in life. It was real estate. So what?</p><p>"We don't usually kill people to take their houses, Raditz," Yamcha mumbled when he brought it up.</p><p>"We're not taking their houses, we're selling the planets to a high bidder for Frieza," Raditz corrected. Honestly. It wasn't that hard to comprehend, was it? "At any rate…the <em>girl</em> here—"</p><p>"Bulma," Kakarot insisted.</p><p>"…Bulma. Had humiliated myself and Vegeta. And since Vegeta has learned that I not only failed to retrieve Kakarot, but that <em>you</em>—" He pointed at Bulma accusingly, she only scoffed in return—"Live still. He's coming. He's not going to show any mercy."</p><p>"Okay," Bulma huffed with a dismissive shrug. "Then I'll have to kick his ass again, much harder this time."</p><p><em>What obscene and ludicrous words!</em> Raditz felt his jaw hanging open at the <em>audacity </em>the woman displayed nonetheless. "They're much stronger than your silly guns!" he snapped.</p><p>"Well, I'm not just gonna let them come to our planet and bully my friends," Kakarot said, notably his posture and the sound of his voice had turned…almost excited. "If they're really that strong, then I'm just gonna hafta work hard and beat 'em!"</p><p>The table broke into cheers, startling Raditz. "You're all <em>insane!</em>" he burst, standing up and pointing at them individually. "Every last one of you!"</p><p>"Hey, man," Yamcha laughed, "Welcome to Earth."</p>
<hr/><p>Eventually, Bulma sequestered herself—where else—to her own safe place in her lab. Her friends, though she loved them dearly, were now engaging in something far too <em>stimulating</em> for how many thoughts were going through her mind then. She wanted to study the scouter more, translate its fascinating language into something more resembling Earth's standard.</p><p>…Talk into it, apparently, as she couldn't help but speak while she worked, knowing sooner or later whoever was listening on the other end would no longer be able to hear.</p><p>In truth, she wondered about him, about Vegeta—there was an apprehensive excitement about encountering a rival again. Someone she bested before, a worthy opponent. Only, Vegeta wouldn't be interested in playful banter and a game of wits, if what Raditz <em>insisted</em> on was true Saiyans communicated through violence alone. No room for banter, she supposed.</p><p>"…I could create a gun that would turn you into antimatter in seconds, if that's how you're going to be," she found herself saying with the tone of talking about the weather. "Actually, once I get Raditz's pod over here, I could rewire the mainframe and remote to control <em>your</em> pods—boom, launch you right in the sun, bye Vegeta." She barked out a short, joyless laugh. "You think you're the first man who's tried to hurt me?" she asked, smiling bitterly. "Ha! If anything, I'm going to be <em>nicer</em> to you than the last one."</p><p>Bulma tried not to reflect too deeply on the last time she had fought tooth and nail to survive without the protection of Goku—far long before they met, she was…fourteen, perhaps. Old enough to be familiar with how <em>they</em> could be, aware of why they leered at her prematurely developed body as they did since she was <em>much</em> younger, knowing she needed to <em>run</em>.</p><p>She replaced the anxiety with desire to get something <em>done</em> and focused on the idea of reconfiguring the pods to direct them to her chosen spot.</p><p>"Hmm…who knows, maybe you're still cute," she mumbled to herself. "You were kinda cute, in a weird pointy way."</p><p>Bulma replaced any anxiety and apprehension with her careless whims, laughing to herself, half-joking that once Vegeta saw how beautiful she was maybe he would forget his grudge. It was a nice thought, something truly storybook, but ultimately unrealistic and ludicrous—no matter <em>how</em> beautiful she was some people just had terrible taste. Judging by how Raditz acted, Saiyans were emotionally constipated and elitist to boot!</p>
<hr/><p>Chi-Chi displayed remarkable patience and yet a firm hand to reign in Kakarot's excitement, Raditz noticed. She was strong-willed, stubborn almost, with a rigid sense of values that she would not waver from but still displayed a softer affection towards him and their child.</p><p>And Kakarot clearly loved <em>every</em> second of it. He would grin when she directed a sharp comment to him, reaching out and depositing a nuzzle on the top of her head—a common Saiyan form of affection. Saiyans were never ones to <em>kiss</em>like other aliens did or hold hands, one could never know when a battle would suddenly break after all.</p><p>Raditz was relieved, at least, his brother retained some Saiyan instinct with the enjoyment of strong-willed partners, with his gestures and the attitude of careless excitement towards fighting. From what he was being told, however, it might have been due to the death of the Earthling who found him early on, Kakarot had never been truly inundated with Earth expressions of affection.</p><p>He noticed, but didn't comment on <em>just yet,</em> that Kakarot was missing his tail as well.</p><p>"Kakarot," Raditz finally broke his silence, ignoring the rest of the Earthlings around them. "Why is your tail missing?"</p><p>The group visibly tensed, a shudder of fear wrapped in secrecy snaked through the aura of good humor and comradery.</p><p>They thought they were hiding their expressions well, oh no they were not, Raditz was <em>quite</em> adept in the subtleties of emotion in other beings, and he was equally adept at mimicking and manipulating them. It was one of his true skills, talking, though sometimes he was about as subtle as a punch to the face he was able to rein it in.</p><p>"I had it removed a long time ago," Kakarot replied frankly, turning a shrewd look to him. "My teacher at the time told me it was only holding me back."</p><p>Raditz scoffed, gesturing to Gohan. "Utter nonsense! Then why do you keep your brat's tail intact? If it's the transformation you're concerned with—"</p><p>"<em>What</em> transformation?" Kakarot interjected, tensing up and pulling his child behind him at the mention.</p><p><em>What…?</em> Raditz balked, looking around at the rest of the group who were now glancing at each other with awkwardness. Only Chi-Chi seemed just as oblivious to what was going on as Kakarot. "You…you're kidding, right? Our transformation under the full moon," he found himself blabbering on despite the clear signs that he needed to shut up. "When we turn into—"</p><p>"Raditz, stop!" Yamcha begged him.</p><p><em>What the hell</em>. Now Kakarot looked as confused as Raditz felt.</p><p>"Does he…not know?" he realized. "Have you all known but…?"</p><p>A scoff from behind them tore his attention from the group, looking upwards he saw the Namekian sneering at them from the doorway. "Yes, they have known and kept the secret to save his <em>feelings</em>." The Namekian casually strode into the room, crossing his arms and glaring right at Goku. "Complete waste of time, honestly. It was inevitable that the truth would come out and yet you all <em>insisted</em>."</p><p>Then the <em>look</em> dawned on Kakarot's face, the expression of the pieces clicking together but not liking the results of the puzzle. Kakarot shivered, face turning pale, his expression twisting into shock and grief. "I am…?" he stammered. "I'm…the monster…? It was me?" Strangely, he did not become angry with his friends, he only looked…sad.</p><p>Of course, it would make sense for a sentimental race like the Earthlings—and Kakarot since he was raised among them—to understand that keeping the secret was for the sake of protecting him. But why? Why? Raditz didn't know, not yet, he was sure they would explain it to him. "Did you never learn how to control the transformation?"</p><p>"I don't…I don't know," he admitted, leaning into his wife clutching onto his arm and holding his son tight to his side. "I never remembered what happened after I looked at the moon. I would just wake up and everything would be a total mess. I was…"</p><p>It was too much for Kakarot to discuss at the moment, even Raditz could see that, he tried to divert it by bringing attention to the Namekian. "And what are <em>you</em> doing here, exactly? Are you <em>stalking</em> me?"</p><p>"Don't flatter yourself," the Namekian jeered, rolling his eyes. "I am simply gathering information about these other Saiyans that are coming. This is my planet, none of you are allowed to conquer it when it is already <em>mine</em>."</p><p>Bulma had referred to Earth as her planet, too, but <em>this</em> tone was different. This implied actual <em>ownership</em> rather than pride and protectiveness. That was an unusual statement for one of the so-called peaceful Namekians to make, Raditz's eyebrow lifted in puzzlement while he stared as if really <em>seeing</em> him for the first time. "All right…you all are going to have to bring me up to speed about this. <em>Who</em> is this exactly? What the hell is going on?"</p><p>"Language!" Chi-Chi chided, covering up Gohan's ears.</p><p>"Very well, if you insist on it," the Namekian conceded. "But not in such a small room. The menagerie should be a suitable spot."</p><p><em>Menagerie? </em>There was a menagerie in the compound?</p><p>He realized then that they were <em>still</em> in the building that Yamcha and Tien had brought him to, yet suddenly they were coming into an environment that looked like outside. It wasn't, he soon found, since the walls of the building—though stretching high up—made themselves apparent. What sort of odd place did he end up in? This was a place where people <em>lived</em>? It was more like a palace than a house, and it belonged to the woman and her family. Were they royalty and nobody was mentioning it?</p><p>Piccolo, that was the Namekian's name. Piccolo, Yamcha, Krillin—who had been called after some time—and Tien all took turns trying to explain the story to Raditz. Kakarot brought it back to the beginning from the time that he lived with the old man who found him—Gohan, it turned out his name was—to when he met Bulma.</p><p>(<em>Oh, that's why</em>, he thought when it had been mentioned Gohan senior was killed by a monster "that appeared on nights of the full moon.")</p><p>Raditz in turn explained, surprised though he was that Piccolo didn't <em>realize</em> what he was, what exactly a Namekian happened to be. He only had rumors and conjecture, of course, and he had to restrain himself from derogatorily calling them <em>gastropods</em> but it was enough to stun Piccolo into contemplative silence.</p><p>Being honest with himself, he was impressed by all of what Kakarot experienced in such a short time, he thought Earth was a peaceful planet with little to no danger whatsoever. And yet, Kakarot had managed to settle down with a wife and child, content and…</p><p>Well, <em>now</em> he didn't seem too happy, Kakarot looked downright <em>pensive</em>. Raditz knew it was partly his fault, crashing into his life as he had, bringing in all the information that he hadn't known.</p><p>"It will take them a year to arrive," Raditz finally said. "My comrades. We've established this. I don't know what that woman is planning exactly, but you can all train to fight them if you really want. I doubt it will help much."</p><p>"Kami would have a solution," Kakarot nodded whilst Piccolo rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time that conversation.</p><p>Kami was the guardian of the planet, the split off "good" half of Piccolo—surprisingly reasonable as far as information went. Raditz had heard Namekians possessed abnormal abilities like magic, splitting themselves in half wasn't so farfetched.</p><p>"Unbelievable," Chi-Chi sighed, holding Gohan in her lap. "Things had been so quiet for so long but now we're going back into the fighting thing again."</p><p>"C'mon, Chi," Kakarot laughed, "We've still been sparring, you can train with us too!"</p><p>"Then who would look after Gohan?" she protested.</p><p>Right. Gohan had little interest in fighting and Chi-Chi had insisted upon working on his education. A reasonable thing when Raditz learned she was the princess of a minor (very much defunct) kingdom. It only made sense to want to make sure one's heir had the proper education.</p><p>"Gohan could always train <em>with</em>…you," Raditz offered, hesitating to bring himself into the fold right away. Surely he would <em>not</em> be welcomed and he didn't want to get in any more trouble than he already was with Vegeta and Nappa by ingratiating himself with the Earthlings.</p><p>Chi-Chi was firm, as expected, when she stated: "No. We did enough fighting as kids. Why should Gohan have to do it, too?"</p><p>Krillin nodded, a sympathetic look softening his eyes. "She's got a point, guys. Who knows what will even happen with this? Dragging Gohan into it is just asking for trouble."</p><p>"I agree," Tien said. "We were forced into those circumstances for the lack of capable parties back then, we all should be enough that Gohan won't have to fight."</p><p>Raditz understood, to a point, that Chi-Chi was attempting to preserve the innocence of her son in addition to keeping him focused on his education.</p><p>He understood, and <em>could</em> sympathize to an extent. But he was still <em>baffled</em>. It was such a sharp contrast to Saiyan parents, to Saiyan culture in general, that Gohan even looked relieved he would not be forced into such a thing confused him. Had he no Saiyan instinct to fight? Perhaps not, with the mixing of Earthling blood, but then…</p><p>"Actually, Bulma could tutor Gohan while you guys are here," Yamcha piped up, nodding like he had come onto a brilliant conclusion. "She'll probably want all of us to stay a while."</p><p>(Piccolo shot him a look of doubt.)</p><p>Tien looked hesitant, most likely thinking of his farm. Raditz, too, was hesitant about staying in the house of the "enemy" so to speak (and was also eager to get back to the farm though he would never admit that).</p><p>Bulma evidently chose that time to cut into the conversation, coming into the menagerie whilst rubbing at her oil-streaked skin with a cloth. "I'd be happy to tutor Gohan, Chi-Chi! I've got something I wanted to talk to you about anyway for what we can work on together." She looked to Tien with a smile, seeing his concern and reading it clearly. "I'm not going to make you stay too far from your farm if you don't want to, Tien, you're always welcome to come in and out as you please."</p><p>"I appreciate it, of course," Tien said with a humble nod.</p><p>"I, uh…" Raditz found himself stammering. "I want to stay…at the farm, too…"</p><p>A silence fell over the group, all eyes turned to him and he contemplated throwing himself off the planet right then.</p><p>"Hey, cool!" Yamcha slapped Raditz's shoulder with a good-natured grin. "There's space, right Tien? Since Launch flew the coop—oh, we should work on getting a different wardrobe for you, though, Radz. Y'might stand out a little."</p><p><em>Radz?</em> Only Nappa called him that in his more playful moments (though more often he called him <em>Runt</em>), he wasn't accustomed to the idea of anybody treating him so casually. Part of him resented it.</p><p>Part of him also wanted to avert his gaze so he wouldn't ultimately be charmed by Yamcha's well-meaning expression. He concentrated on the doubt Tien exuded instead, all three of his eyes were locked directly onto Raditz. <em>Say no!</em>Raditz practically begged Tien in his thoughts. <em>Say I can't stay!</em></p><p>"All right," Tien sighed. "But Yamcha, you're staying too, and Raditz you're going to earn your keep on the farm."</p><p>Raditz's mind blanked out then, almost missing how Yamcha turned an uncertain look to Bulma as if asking for permission. Bulma pretended not to notice the look, nodding in approval at the arrangement.</p><p>"I want some time with you, though," she said to Raditz. "You'll visit, right? I need your help."</p><p>Someone needed <em>his</em> help? In more ways than one? For things <em>besides</em> destroying? His mind reeled now, the easygoing atmosphere of the Earthlings (and Piccolo) was absolutely <em>ruining</em> him. He was finding he didn't mind the idea of <em>doing farm work</em> for the next year or so. "I, uh…all right, then," he mumbled.</p><p>"You don't need to take Raditz out for shopping," Bulma mentioned. "He'd stand out a little. Corduroy will take care of clothes for him."</p><p>He could guess by the context that she was referring to a personal tailor of the family's. He had never visited with a tailor before, uniforms were standardized and distributed among Frieza's soldiers. Raditz wasn't sure how to deal with the information and opportunities presented to him.</p><p>Ultimately, the group drifted apart to busy themselves with nonsense, only leaving himself and Kakarot. He had the feeling it was intentional on the part of the Earthlings.</p><p>A long silence passed before Kakarot spoke in a solemn voice: "A long time ago…I met my grandpa again. I couldn't understand why, but I wanted to apologize to him. I wanted to <em>know</em> that he had forgiven me for something I didn't know I needed to be forgiven for."</p><p>"…Then, what happened?" Raditz prompted after Kakarot trailed off.</p><p>Kakarot turned to him and smiled, a bittersweet look and eyes shining with unshed tears. "He said he was proud of me."</p><p>Pride. <em>I'm proud of you.</em> It was something Raditz had wanted to hear from their father for a very long time, so he understood the importance of Kakarot hearing that his guardian was proud of him (that he had forgiven him).</p><p>He couldn't say <em>he</em> was proud of Kakarot nor could he offer him the same sort of comfort in the absence of their parents, though perhaps he <em>should</em> have as the older brother. In truth, he didn't <em>know</em> Kakarot yet and his values had diverted so much from what Saiyans were taught to believe. He supposed Kakarot could say the same about him, he didn't <em>know</em> Raditz, and his first impression had been…not very stellar. Raditz huffed a laugh to himself, thinking of how their mother probably would have scolded him for being so harsh and overreacting. She would have thrown her cleaver at him and yelled a lot while wagging her finger.</p><p>He understood why Kakarot shared that information with him in an instant as the wistful melancholy settled over him at the thought of their parents. He was trying to say he shared in Raditz's grief even if he didn't remember their parents. From what Gine said in her final message, Kakarot tried to break out of his pod and cried, not wanting to leave. Perhaps he remembered some of that, maybe a little, though his grief about his grandfather eclipsed it.</p><p>A great and <em>grey</em> sort of heaviness settled over him in the absence of the frenetic fear and anger seeing <em>the girl </em>again brought forth, the expectations of Saiyans and class structures left him as he sat with Kakarot. Raditz thought with a clearer head and said, "She will probably want your pod. Bulma. I can go look for it with you and get mine at the same time. It's an older model so it won't function the same."</p><p>"Okay," he replied with a smile that was…not happy, per se, but not sad, expressing something unknown to Raditz. "It's not a baseball game, but I guess it'll do."</p><p>Raditz would have to ask whatever the hell <em>baseball</em> was soon.</p>
<hr/><p>Yamcha had followed after Bulma when the group split apart, even as she was explaining to Chi-Chi her idea for Gohan's new lesson plan and making the offer to have her be a bodyguard full time. She felt his eyes on her as she and the younger woman bantered back and forth the song and dance of <em>"but Goku wants to live in the countryside" "you know how to drive and I'll provide a car, Chi."</em></p><p>She knew he wanted to talk to her about their last split up. She reminded herself that she wasn't going to fall back into the harmful trap of making him <em>beg</em> for forgiveness so they could try again with this frayed and dysfunctional thread. It was a cycle they <em>needed</em> to break, they needed to move on—Bulma hated the idea of being alone and had no small measure of care for Yamcha, he was a wonderful man! But carrying on with this…</p><p>"Have you met someone else?" he eventually asked in a small voice when they were alone.</p><p>"No," she answered with sincerity. "But we can't date anymore. We both know it. We aren't kids anymore, Yamcha."</p><p>He laughed joylessly, crossing his arms and staring up at the ceiling. "What happened, B…? We were so happy before, now it just seems like all we do is fight."</p><p>"We were always fighting then, too," she pointed out. "Maybe we weren't as happy as we thought being a couple."</p><p>All insecurities aside of thinking he was cheating on her, that is. All the ugly thoughts about <em>knowing</em> what was said behind her back aside. It wasn't about any of that. Bulma didn't…see Yamcha in a romantic or sexual sense anymore, over time she realized she saw him the same way that she viewed Krillin and Goku. The way she saw the rest of the gang—one big eclectic and <em>weird</em> but ultimately happy and loving family.</p><p>"I never cheated," he insisted again. "…When we were apart, though…I was with…some people."</p><p>She shrugged—no sense in getting upset about that, Yamcha was an adult and they weren't connected then, he could do whatever or <em>who</em>ever he wanted. Bulma likely would have done the same had she made time outside of the lab to do anything fun (she didn't, unfortunately). "Were you happy with them?" she wondered.</p><p>"Eh." Yamcha shrugged back, waving his hand. "Not really, it was just hookups in the end." He chuckled, some of his usual good-natured humor coming back. "Not gonna lie, I've only <em>been</em> happy lately hanging out with Tien."</p><p>Bulma smiled, nodding—yes, it was true, Yamcha and Tien were tight. Their bond formed quickly after the Tournament that brought Tien into their group, nobody had anything with the two fighters quite like what they had with each other. "Then maybe you should date Tien," she joked.</p><p>"Haha!" Yamcha nudged her playfully. "Come on, B! Tien's got, like, iron discipline—Launch practically threw herself at him and he wasn't interested!"</p><p>True, although Bulma knew that Tien actually had solid reasons for rebuffing Launch's advances—they had nothing in common, her attraction to him was sudden and came off as superficial to him, he was so <em>devoted</em> to training alone. Though she loved Launch to death and missed her, she couldn't blame Tien for feeling put off and uncomfortable. "Well…" Bulma held open her arms to him. "You'll always mean the world to me, Yamcha. But not as a boyfriend, as one of my best friends."</p><p>He gladly returned her embrace, resting his chin on top of her head, gently stroking her hair. "Me, too, Bulma. You're a great person, you deserve the best."</p><p>"I know I do, but so are you and so do you." They weren't parting forever, of course, yet Bulma still felt a sadness like she was giving up <em>something</em> big—something that had been part of her life, a constant, for years. Though it was for the better, humans craved comfort and familiarity by nature, it was why they continued the relationship on and off for so long even if the writing had been on the wall for just as long.</p><p>Finally, <em>finally</em> Bulma and Yamcha were able to part amicably as friends. He told her he would get Raditz to Corduroy immediately for his fittings in new clothes, then take him and Tien back to the farm. She offered to loan a flying car for them so they wouldn't expend their energy, which he accepted with gratitude.</p><p>She watched him leave not with sadness this time but with a faint hope blossoming that perhaps things would be all right after all.</p><p>"You did the right thing," Chi-Chi's voice intoned softly from behind her. "I always thought Yamcha was reliable, I had no idea you were both having trouble."</p><p>"He <em>is</em> reliable," Bulma confirmed. "He just wants to make people happy way too much is the problem, has a hard time saying no." She paused. "And…I didn't help with that, either."</p><p>She felt the hands of Chi-Chi on her shoulders, soothing her with a delicate touch. "That's all right, you don't have to explain anything else, Bulma." Abruptly, Chi-Chi spun her around to face her, a broad smile now on her face. "You know, I don't get to come to the city much except for errands, and I don't get to spend a lot of time with other women either. So…"</p><p>Bulma picked up the slack on Chi-Chi's thought, taking her hand. "Well, we're going to have to change that, now aren't we?"</p><p>The two giggled as they linked arms and prepared to have a fun afternoon to relieve some stress out on the town.</p>
<hr/><p>"Why are we stopping?" Nappa asked when they had landed their pods on a stopover planet a few days later.</p><p>Vegeta ignored him for a moment, stretching to get some kinks out of his muscles and readjusting his armor. "I had preemptively programmed us to land here for a break. Even in suspended animation, it gets boring just sitting in the pod, wouldn't you agree?"</p><p>"Mm, I would," the old man rumbled. "Don't suppose we can get something to eat while we're here?"</p><p>"Of course," Vegeta snorted as though he had said something totally foolish. "But we're not stopping to see one of your idiotic plays or anything like that, they don't have those here."</p><p>Nappa huffed, still in the process of doing his own stretches. "I swear, Vegeta, I'll get you to have fun one of these days."</p><p><em>Not likely</em>. Though he wouldn't dignify Nappa's statement with a response. He touched his scouter lightly, contemplating what to do with the leisure time he had afforded himself. "Do whatever you want, Nappa, I'm staying here for the moment," he brusquely ordered.</p><p>"Affirmative, your highness."</p><p>With anybody else in any other context that would have sounded like sarcasm, it was not the case with Nappa, he knew better. <em>Raditz </em>knew better as well, though Vegeta didn't know for how long until his idiot brother poisoned his brain with whatever happened to him on Earth. For all he knew they would find him settled down with a woman and children like Kakarot had.</p><p>He shook himself out of the thoughts, reminded of Nappa's comment that they could use Earth women to repopulate the Saiyan race with distaste. How uncouth. He was slipping in his old age, dedicating less time to training and acting brashly with destructive fervor instead. If not that, he would take leave to visit pleasure planets and watch his asinine plays.</p><p>Nappa had the nerve to say once that <em>Vegeta</em> was the one slipping, becoming more violent and less honorable. How dare he!</p><p>The sound of voices over his scouter brought his turbulent thoughts to a pause.</p><p>Ah—<em>she</em> was speaking again, he realized, interested despite himself. Vegeta listened to her talk as he decided upon where he would spend his credits for food. She was discussing how she had rewired Raditz and Kakarot's pods as an experiment—in just a matter of days? He was impressed, despite himself, the woman was clearly resourceful and frighteningly intelligent.</p><p><em>"I'll use this to control </em>their<em> pods," </em>she was saying. <em>"They'll be landing where I choose. I think we can hold off on fighting them for a moment, especially if they don't end up in a populated place."</em></p><p>Vegeta smirked—oh, did she think they could <em>talk it out</em> like civilized people? Nonsense. He would have her neck in his grip before she could even get a word in. The idea of her using their pods and remotely controlling them was <em>very</em>interesting, however. The inklings of thoughts that she could be brought over to <em>their</em> side began to make themselves known in his mind.</p><p>Not a <em>partner</em> as Nappa teased him, of course, just another subordinate. He had hoped against hope for the time when he would end Frieza with his own hands for ages, if this woman could be used to expedite it of <em>course</em> he would take that chance.</p><p>By the time he had finished his meal, he noticed that she stopped talking. Something nagged at him about her silence, he realized he wanted to say something to her <em>himself</em>.</p><p>But what should he say? <em>Should</em> he say anything? Maybe respond to the direct threats she had made against him? <em>"Oh you're going to launch me into the sun? Do it then I'd like to see you try," </em>or something.</p><p>"Woman," he finally said, looking askance to be sure that Nappa hadn't come back to their landing place yet. "Your efforts are amusing but ultimately fruitless."</p><p>More silence on the other end. Did she not hear him? He found himself feeling antsy and a little annoyed at the possibility she might have been ignoring him.</p><p>After a moment, a response: <em>"Wow, you're lucky I was nice enough to block off any access your base has to your transmissions, my prince. From what Raditz told me about Frieza, he won't like you just taking off from a mission to go to a useless planet like Earth."</em></p><p>His stomach jumped—at what, he wasn't certain. "If Frieza has a problem with it, he can say it to me personally," he brushed off her comment.</p><p><em>"I'd rather </em>not<em> have a megalomaniac visiting Earth, already got one of those here and he's kind of a bitch."</em></p><p>Her vulgar comment startled a laugh out of him—Vegeta imagined for a moment her doing something absolutely <em>suicidal</em> like calling Frieza…that word to his face.</p><p>Frieza would kill her for the offense. Vegeta would never allow such a thing to happen.</p><p>Not out of protectiveness. <em>She</em> was <em>his</em> to torment.</p><p>
  <em>"So…your pod's stopped somewhere, taking a break this early on in the game? Can't stay I'm very impressed with your stamina, my prince."</em>
</p><p>"My stamina is fine," he grunted, ignoring or missing the double entendre entirely (it was the latter). "Nappa gets very restless when he's put into stasis for too long, I'm letting him exercise for a bit so he doesn't take out <em>all</em> of his frustration on your pathetic planet."</p><p><em>"Awww, what a sweetheart,"</em> she cooed back sarcastically. <em>"I didn't know my charm was that magnetic to you."</em></p><p>"You're about as charming as Frieza himself," he snorted, ignoring again the seeds of respect and fondness taking hold inside of him. "I have determined, woman, that you might be useful."</p><p><em>"Ha."</em> Vegeta could imagine her leaning forward, right into his face, though he couldn't imagine what she looked like. He realized his heart was thudding in his ears as she finished her statement: <em>"I don't work for anybody, Vegeta. I am my </em>own<em> person."</em></p><p>"We'll see about that." He said this, though his heart pounded louder in his ears at her show of defiance. A strong-willed woman like that was nothing but trouble, nothing but <em>danger</em> to a Saiyan like himself. Yet he gladly went towards the danger closer and closer by continuing speaking to her, continuing to think of her.</p><p>He realized, after some time, he was purposefully making more stops than before just so he could talk to her.</p><p><em>"You know, I'm starting to think you might like me a little, hot stuff," </em>she said to him on the fifth stop in the third month of the journey. <em>"What, were you thinking I was going to suggest phone sex after a while? I'm not that kind of girl!"</em></p><p>What the hell is phone sex, Vegeta thought but did not bother to ask. It was probably something vulgar that he wouldn't engage in anyway. He ignored her comment entirely, shrugging it off and saying he was only bored. He didn't know what to make of her needling comments calling him <em>hot stuff</em> either, was it about body temperature or his physical appearance? Either way, how was she to know? The last time they saw each other was as children. Bulma said unusual things often, sometimes purposefully when she almost revealed something she didn't want him to know.</p><p>Vegeta tried to play off the stops and conversations, Nappa noticed nonetheless. "At this rate, Vegeta, it'll be ages before we meet up with your little girlfriend," he teased.</p><p>Vegeta socked him in the face in response. Nappa chuckled, nursing his bleeding nose. <em>What the hell was a girlfriend</em>, either? Why did people around him speak so <em>strangely</em>?</p>
<hr/><p>Bulma wasn't expecting the semi-frequent conversations with Vegeta. She was amused that he seemed so eager to talk to her, banter about this and that—<em>argue</em>, he loved arguing. It was fortunate since she also loved arguing. He stimulated her mind in ways that nobody else had before and <em>pissed her off</em>.</p><p>Luckily she usually was able to get him back by saying something flirtatious and surprising him.</p><p>Kami had called her friends up to train, leaving her behind once again. This time, it wasn't so terrible since she had Raditz—who obviously wasn't invited up—Chi-Chi, and Gohan to occupy her time. The fighters were able to come down and visit as well, for what reason they seemed so unconcerned about the time they should have been spending training they weren't mentioning and Bulma wasn't going to press.</p><p>In the time spent tinkering with her inventions and tutoring Gohan, she observed Raditz. He took to farming better than expected, enthusiastically talking about the status of the harvest and livestock to Tien when he visited. He was slotting himself into the status of "buddy buddy" with Yamcha and Tien quite comfortably and rather than being worried, Bulma felt pleased about it. Maybe if he had some attachment he wouldn't be so quick to betray them all when Vegeta arrived.</p><p>She didn't want to admit to herself that some part of her was anticipating his arrival. She wouldn't admit it aloud either, as Raditz knew she had been talking to Vegeta.</p><p>"It's unusual for him to talk to somebody so much," he had said. "But be careful, Vegeta can be deceptive."</p><p>"Psh, so can I," she scoffed, throwing a careless wink at him from over her shoulder. "Bad boys are my specialty, I can handle it."</p><p>Though Vegeta was hardly a <em>boy</em>, she acknowledged to herself, nobody with a voice like <em>that</em> was a boy. Some part of her anticipated their conversations just so she could hear that deep voice that sent unusual shivers up her spine. She never had a reaction like that to someone's <em>voice</em> before, she was more of a visual, tactile person—shallow, some might call it. A voice and conversation was entirely different as far as building a relationship.</p><p>Association, not relationship, she told herself. No way in hell would Vegeta up and suddenly give up his evil ways just for <em>her</em> no matter how great she was. Not even for a fling or two.</p><p>No, he had shown his cards (foolishly) right off the bat by establishing he decided she was <em>useful</em> whilst attempting to show how uncaring he was about her status. Just like any other person, she was only a convenience to him to be used and discarded.</p><p>And yet…Bulma couldn't help but wonder if it was all just bluster and a façade from him, just the same as when they were children. That he was putting on an act because he thought it was expected of him, or…to protect himself.</p><p>The seeds of fondness and <em>relating</em> were beginning to take root in her over time. She had to remind herself often that Vegeta was an <em>enemy</em> who thought nothing of her but using her and killing her. Just like the rest of them.</p><p><em>Just like the rest of them</em>, she repeated with a regretful note.</p>
<hr/><p>"Anyway, the chickens have been restless lately, there might be a storm coming in soon," Raditz explained to Tien. Raditz found himself seated in between Tien and Yamcha, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "Foo Yung's been coming down with something as well, I think, I gave her the medicine you left this morning but I'll keep her inside overnight to be sure."</p><p>Tien nodded, a wisp of a smile coming to his face. "Thanks, I'm glad someone reliable is looking after her."</p><p>His stomach fluttered at being called <em>reliable</em>, at pleasing someone usually so stoic as Tien. Overall, working with the two Earth men had been miles better than ever working with his Saiyan comrades. They appreciated his input, even encouraged it, <em>thanked</em> him for help. Expressed…affection? Yamcha was rather affectionate, at least, as he was leaning his head on Raditz's shoulder right then, yawning like training had tired him out. It was possible, they weren't being very <em>forthcoming</em> on what the training entailed but it had to be something intense with how they were able to visit and seemed unconcerned with the Saiyans.</p><p>Without him realizing it, his tail had unwound itself and wrapped around Yamcha's arm resting between them. A gesture of comradery and affection between Saiyans that Raditz had never felt the need to express before to anyone besides his parents. He wanted to correct himself when he realized what happened, but Yamcha was asleep then so he didn't want to disturb the man. Raditz instead turned his attention fully to Tien, playing off his own weakness like it was nothing. "When will you finish training? It's boring just talking to chickens and cows all day at the farm. Chiaotzu and Puar don't like talking to me much, either."</p><p>The three-eyed man chuckled, something else rare with him. "Getting lonely?" he teased.</p><p>"Maybe," Raditz mumbled, feeling his cheeks burning. The good-natured teasing was different, too, he didn't feel attacked and humiliated, he felt the warmth and wanted to reciprocate it. "But probably not as lonely as Yamcha," he teased back, turning a humorous glance to their sleeping companion.</p><p>"Ah, yeah, he was always an attention seeker," Tien agreed with a fond smile.</p><p>What this was leading up to, Raditz wondered. If it was any other planet with any other aliens he expected they would abruptly switch the scenario and reveal they were tricking him, try to goad him into a fight, call him something derogatory. But Tien and Yamcha were different, they went at a slower pace, building up <em>trust</em> and being almost unbearably kind.</p><p>Actually, it was possible they were trying to be his <em>friend</em>. Earthlings overall took companionship that was platonic to familial very seriously. His own suspicion about other people was slowly fading away as he spent time with him, which was completely embarrassing for a Saiyan warrior to realize.</p><p>"I know how to drive," Tien eventually said, patting the inside of Raditz's arm as he stood. "You carry Yamcha to the car and I'll get us back to the farm."</p><p>"O…kay…" Raditz glanced at Yamcha again from his peripheral. Carry him? Like, gently? He wasn't quite sure how to do that.</p><p>He soldiered on through as best he could anyway, picking up Yamcha and following after Tien. He directed his thoughts away from how unusual it was cradling someone by thinking of his errant brother. "And what's Kakarot been doing? He hasn't visited much at all except to see the squirt and Chi-Chi."</p><p>"Kami contacted someone to give Goku extra special training," Tien replied with a shrug. "Goku's always been the sort to jump ahead, and he already trained under Kami before."</p><p>As expected for a Saiyan, Raditz internally preened at the news of his brother showing his obvious superiority, but found himself frowning too at the lack of information. "Can't tell me because I'm still an enemy?" he said, trying to sound casual rather than hurt.</p><p>Tien was never one to mince words, he proved this further by looking back at Raditz as he opened up the car and stated: "Yeah. Sorry. I like you, Raditz, but I know what it's like to be conditioned like you have. Your comrades might intimidate you into going back to them, and while I don't enjoy the idea I have to think practically."</p><p>Understandable. It really was. So why did he feel hurt?</p><p><em>Don't be an idiot</em>, he chided himself. <em>You are a Saiyan, there's no sense in entertaining nonsense like trying to build trust with Earthlings.</em></p><p>He told himself that, yet still glanced at Tien from the corner of his eye after settling into the front passenger seat, having deposited Yamcha carefully in the back. "So…that past you were talking about, can I have some clarification or is it going to be one of those 'I can't tell you yet' things?"</p><p>"Oh, it's nothing I'm ashamed of," Tien responded candidly. "It's part of my history and I've learned from it, there's no sense in hiding it. I had been orphaned at a young age and taken in by my old master, the Crane Hermit…"</p><p>Raditz listened, taking in the story of how Tien and Chiaotzu not only used to be mercenaries but were <em>much</em> more callous than they were now. He raised his eyebrows in surprise when the fact that Yamcha had his leg thoroughly <em>mangled</em> in his fight against Tien was brought up. Sadism. Not something he would have expected from the straight-laced and honorable warrior.</p><p>Tien chuckled when he mentioned such and how strange it was that Yamcha readily accepted him as a friend. "I agree, yes, I wasn't expecting them to forgive and welcome me like they did…but on the part of Yamcha, it's not as though he was completely innocent either. He used to be a desert bandit."</p><p>"No kidding!" he exclaimed, amazed despite himself. "You don't suppose he's ever…?"</p><p>"Killed someone?" Yamcha spoke up from the back as he sat up and stretched. "Mmm…nah, never intentionally. All the rest was just leaving them to their devices in the desert."</p><p><em>Intentionally</em> was quite a qualifier. Raditz stared back at the man rubbing sleep out of his eyes, then moved his gaze to the three-eyed man acting as their driver. "You all aren't the goody-goodies I was expecting," he concluded with some admiration.</p><p>"I mean, yeah, Goku told you about taking down an entire army by himself?" Yamcha chuckled. "And how Bulma shot him in the face when they first met?"</p><p>"She did that to <em>me</em> when we first met, that's nothing," Raditz scoffed. He concluded that the two must have not known that Bulma had the look of having killed someone before herself and kept quiet about it, if she didn't tell them it was for a reason.</p><p>The rest of the trip back to the farm was spent idly chatting about this and that, Raditz flopped down into bed with his hands resting behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling.</p><p>Bulma was another part of the equation he hadn't expected. She was brilliant, scary brilliant, she had figured out the intricacies of the scouter and the pods within a matter of days, not to mention several different schemes for when Vegeta and Nappa arrived. She didn't share many of those with him when they talked, understandably, though not out of lack of trust towards him—if anything she trusted he would "make the right decision" whatever the hell that was much more than Tien did.</p><p>The right decision? He didn't know what that was, per se, but he compared how he felt on Earth as opposed to his life as it was supposed to be to each other. He was much happier on Earth. Chi-Chi was warming up to him as an in-law and allowing him to help her with duties around the household in Kakarot's absence. Gohan, though he didn't understand half of what he was studying, began to enthusiastically talk about him about theorems in ki he had started to develop. They weren't so bad. Yamcha and Tien, of course, were his closest friends, they would do the most together—watching TV, drinking, going out and having fun. It was almost like a comradeship he should have had with his Saiyan companions but didn't due to the caste system.</p><p>He really felt…nice on Earth, and he entertained thoughts of wanting to stay.</p><p>He looked up at the calendar. It took him six months to lose his mind and start thinking Earth wasn't so bad? Great.</p><p>The dawn of his eighth month on Earth, Kakarot returned to Capsule Corp.</p><p>Something was different about him, Raditz could tell that much even without the ability to sense ki like the other warriors had. He held himself differently, wore another patch on the back of his gi, seemed <em>stronger</em>.</p><p>But, he was still Kakarot, the same Kakarot that gave him a goofy grin upon seeing him and said, "Hey! Raditz! Watch this!"</p><p>He waited, patiently, whilst Kakarot phased out of sight—he was doing a speed technique of some sort, clearly.</p><p>No, it turned out, he was <em>teleporting</em> as he returned with a pair of sunglasses that Raditz recognized as belonging to the old Turtle Hermit. "Wh—how did you <em>do</em> that, Kakarot?"</p><p>"King Kai showed me how!" he laughed, spinning the sunglasses around his fingers. "He showed me a bunch of other stuff too and promised there'd be more, but since I learned this I figured I could take a quick break for a day and then go back." He set himself into a stronger stance, grinning. "I wanna spar with <em>you</em> now! Let's see if I can stack up!"</p><p>Despite himself, Raditz smiled. "Oh, so my baby brother thinks he can outdo <em>me</em> now, is that it?" he snorted. "Fine then, come at me!"</p>
<hr/><p><em>"What are those noises going on? Is some other alien attacking your pathetic planet?" </em>Vegeta's gruff voice came in over the scouter.</p><p>"Nah, Goku's back and he and Raditz are sparring," Bulma replied back easily, the readings on the device's screen showing as much. "I need to tell them to move their stupid asses somewhere else."</p><p><em>"You should shoot them, that would get it through their heads much faster," </em>he advised.</p><p>Bulma should have thought she was losing her mind that she was actually considering Vegeta's advice. She didn't. She only hummed and looked over her selection of weapons. "You think that would work?"</p><p>
  <em>"It would be amusing and I would want to see it."</em>
</p><p>That time, she laughed, loudly and genuinely. "No free entertainment for you, buster! Pay or shut up!"</p><p><em>"I am a planet-buster, though I don't know how you would know that," </em>Vegeta responded, completely missing Earth vernacular as he often did.</p><p>She shook her head and thought, frighteningly close to fondly, that he was a doofus. "You know at this rate it's going to take you a <em>couple</em> of years before you even arrive, are you that eager to talk to me?" She played off the absurdity of the situation by teasing him again.</p><p><em>"You think that?"</em> he said with an amused note.</p><p>A beeping on her monitors tore her attention from what she was working on. Bulma turned to them, setting down her scouter, noting the beacon heading steadily towards Earth she felt the horror crash down over her.</p><p>"You <em>bastard</em>," she breathed, hands balling into fists.</p><p>It was time. She double-checked where their position was going—it seemed they were going to land in South City. Oh, not on Bulma Briefs' watch!</p><p>Fortunately, it seemed Goku had started to realize what was happening as he crashed into her lab babbling about the <em>gigantic battle power </em>he was sensing coming their way. Bulma was already gearing up, strapping her gun to her belt, hooking the scouter over her ear, she turned a determined stare to him.</p><p>"We're going to meet them, Goku. Get everyone else right away."</p><p> </p><p>They only had true reunions when Earth was in danger Bulma observed as she stood at the threshold of the landing site she had redirected the Saiyans to. Her friends (plus Raditz and Piccolo) gathered in a tight group watching with no small measure of trepidation.</p><p>"Bulma," Yamcha whispered to her in hushed, concerned tones for what felt like the millionth time. "You shouldn't be here. You should be back at home, we'll—"</p><p>"We're in it together, Yamcha," Goku interrupted for her, turning a severe look to him.</p><p>"We're in it together," Bulma agreed, now seeing the figures coming out of the pods.</p><p>She recognized him immediately (Raditz gulped) it was hard to mistake a silhouette like the one his hair created. Bulma marched forward much to the audible surprise of her friends to face him, ready to meet the bastard and make him sorely regret ever showing his ugly face on Earth again.</p>
<hr/><p>Vegeta knew without mistake that the person approaching was <em>the woman</em> the moment he floated out of the crater their pods had made and set foot on the ground. She walked in determined strides towards them, eyes locked dead onto his, a fiery blue vision of fury unlike he had ever seen. He had never been one to notice anyone's looks, especially not those of the opposite sex, yet he found himself carefully taking in every detail of her.</p><p>She was quite obviously a grown woman now. Unlike when they were children, she was the same height as him. Very much unlike when they were children, the clothes she wore were form-fitting, a blue that matched her eyes, the skirt clinging to her curves and only reaching mid-thigh. His gaze lingered much longer than it would normally on the pale expanse of her legs.</p><p>As she got closer, he smirked and stepped forward to meet with her, ignoring Nappa's confused mumbles of where they had ended up and what was going on.</p><p>They stopped in the middle, staring at each other, assessing, waiting for the other to make the first move.</p><p>A stupid thought occurred to Vegeta that she was an attractive woman, the grudging fondness and respect he had developed towards her did not help this. He halted it by reminding himself of his mission, there was only to be death and destruction in coming to Earth and <em>forcing</em> this woman (if he had to) to work for him.</p><p>They stared at each other, eye to eye, blue against black—she had <em>the look</em> of having done this before. Being backed into a life or death situation, having to decide right away or <em>else</em>. No shock to him considering what happened <em>last</em>time.</p><p>"Look around, Vegeta," Bulma spoke first, gesturing to their surroundings.</p><p>Though he never took orders from anyone, he obliged to humor her, casting a glance to the trees. Something about the area was indeed familiar, but…</p><p>Oh. He got it now. He snorted, amused despite himself. That sadistic woman, she had directed them to the place where they first met. How <em>quaint</em>.</p><p>Raditz, it seemed, was a little slower on the uptake on second observation from Vegeta, not that he had focused on much but the woman when he first arrived. Nappa questioned what in the world Raditz was wearing, though Vegeta didn't know why, it was obvious they were Earth clothes. He didn't care what Raditz was doing. "Vegeta, he's betrayed us," Nappa said seriously.</p><p>"So?" Vegeta scoffed. "Then we'll—"</p><p>The press of something cold and metallic to his neck and the whirr of energy coming to life stopped him in the middle of his thought. Bulma had come closer to him in that time and pressed her gun up under his chin, scowling. "You're not going to hurt anybody here, Vegeta," she snarled, baring her teeth. "I'll fucking <em>end</em> you, understand?"</p><p>There it was again, the dangerous feeling of being faced with someone strong-willed that brought shivers of excitement from deep within him.</p><p>"You dare—!" Nappa moved forward, gathering energy in his palm.</p><p>"Back off, Nappa." Vegeta halted him with a gesture, tilting his head to the side in amusement. "Go on then, woman, you talked so much about how you're going to kill me over the scouters. Do it. Unless you're afraid?"</p><p>"And <em>you</em> talked about how I'm useful, didn't you? Unless you're all talk?" she challenged back with a smirk.</p>
<hr/><p>Bulma Briefs had, unfortunately, always liked men with a little danger to them. Though she was unaware of Vegeta's own dilemma with a Saiyan's natural attraction to dangerous people as well, she became <em>very</em> aware that there was certainly tension building between them ready to burst. Even as she stood there with her gun pressed against his neck whilst he stared her down, everything around them seemed to fall away into nothing but their standoff and something…strange was sparking up.</p><p>Vegeta was undoubtedly <em>not</em> a little boy anymore—though now they stood at the same height rather than the slight advantage he had over her when they were children—he had a commanding presence. He wasn't conventionally attractive, no, not with the sharp features and intimidating look of death about him, <em>certainly</em> not with the widow's peak brought on by pushing up the bangs he had as a boy. All the same there was <em>something</em> that she found herself being drawn into.<em> Something</em>, something that made her notice every detail about him when, really, considering she was surrounded by fit men in her daily life it <em>shouldn't</em> have been notable.</p><p>She shouldn't have felt so instantly attracted to him.</p><p>She had to rethink and come up with a new strategy (or one in the first place) very fast before she just ended up kissing him in front of her friends. Talk about <em>awkward</em>.</p><p>Vegeta, evidently, wanted to be the one in control as he snapped to Nappa: "Leave us."</p><p>There was a pause of confused silence from the big bald Saiyan, apparently Nappa, before he said: "Your highness?"</p><p>"Leave us. <em>Now</em>. Follow them, if you must, but don't you <em>dare</em> do anything like destroying without my permission."</p><p>"H-hey, we're not leaving!" Yamcha protested.</p><p>"Go back to my house, guys," Bulma interrupted any protests from her friends, never taking her eyes off of Vegeta. "Mom will make you something to eat. I'll come back when this is over."</p><p>"But Bulma—" Goku began to protest, stopped when she held up her free hand. "…We're in it together," he said in a quieter voice.</p><p>"We are," Bulma said turning a faint smile to him. "Always. I'll handle Vegeta, you keep Nappa occupied."</p><p>He nodded, saying nothing more as the fighters gradually dispersed, Raditz specifically directing Nappa (who was still confused at the turn of events) to where Capsule Corp. was, leaving Bulma and Vegeta alone.</p><p>"I'm flattered," Vegeta sneered, "That you prefer my company so much."</p><p>"Shut up," Bulma snapped back, flicking the switch on her gun to a higher setting.</p><p>Weirdly enough Vegeta's eyes lit up as if sensing the imminent danger—was he <em>enjoying</em> this? Were Saiyans masochists or what?</p><p>"You said I was all talk," he said, still with that smug insufferable asshole look on his face, "And yet—here you are—still talking instead of doing anything. Are you going to shoot, <em>Bulma</em>? Do <em>something</em>."</p><p>She felt his fingers on the back of her neck, trailing up and playing with her ponytail. She tried not to shiver at the feel of the cool fabric of his gloves, the odd sensation of her hair being touched, the heat of him so close to her.</p>
<hr/><p>Some part of him wished he wasn't wearing gloves then so he could properly feel her hair—it looked soft and he had always been curious, deep down, about it. She was a unique specimen, he had never seen another being like Bulma in the whole universe, not then and not now.</p><p>That sensation of tension building between them thrummed in the back of his mind as he waited for her to make her move. The reminder that Earthlings and Saiyans were <em>compatible</em> nagged at him again, unusually—he was never one to entertain even the slightest suggestiveness in his thoughts. Hell, he had never even been so close to a woman as he was now.</p><p>The moment stretched out with neither of them doing a <em>damn</em> thing but staring into each other's eyes while they waited for <em>something</em> to happen.</p><p>Her finger pressed down on the trigger.</p><p>"I want to call a truce," Vegeta found himself saying, breaking up the silence entirely.</p><p>She paused, releasing the trigger, the whirring down of the gun the only noise made after his declaration.</p><p>"A truce," Bulma repeated, disbelieving.</p><p>"That's right," he said, annoyed at the disbelief. Did she not <em>realize</em> how rare it was for him to be so merciful? She should have been <em>eager</em> to express her gratitude!</p><p>(<em>And what sort of gratitude would that be?</em> A voice that sounded suspiciously like Nappa sounded off in his head, he resisted the urge to blush.)</p><p>"And what are the terms of this truce?" Bulma pressed, clearly suspicious of his intentions.</p><p>Damn, part of him was hoping she would have just agreed to it without question in order to protect her precious friends, he had forgotten that she was a lot smarter than that.</p><p>"Because I'm still not going to be your subordinate, Vegeta, I <em>don't obey anyone</em>," she continued, baring her teeth in a sneer of contempt.</p><p><em>Damn</em>, she didn't even <em>realize</em> what that defiance was doing to him, did she?</p><p>"What about a…" he began, thinking quickly yet trying to choose his words carefully, "…Partner."</p><p><em>Not like the kind Nappa meant!</em> His mind insistently yelled while Vegeta waited for the woman's answer.</p><p>Bulma seemed to be thinking, looking him over like she was trying to determine if he was worthy or not. He didn't like being on the receiving end of such <em>scrutiny</em> that he would usually give himself.</p><p>"Raditz has told you about Frieza, hasn't he?" Vegeta continued in the absence of an answer from Bulma and wanting to divert her eerie, probing gaze. "He's much worse than all of us combined, and if he <em>ever</em> discovered that your planet harbors such technology that you and your father created, he'll come here. Unlike me, he <em>won't</em> be so magnanimous about taking no for an answer."</p><p>"This is you being magnanimous?" Bulma snorted, taking his wrist to pull his hand away from her hair.</p><p>"It <em>is</em>," he snipped impatiently, grasping her by her shoulders to peer deeply into her eyes. "I'm being <em>serious</em>, woman, Frieza is <em>a monster</em>. I've thought of nothing but destroying him since he took me from my home!"</p><p>"He probably destroyed your home too, you know," she interrupted, tilting her head back like she was trying to avoid <em>his</em> gaze now.</p><p>Vegeta faltered, just for a moment, realizing he hadn't considered that though somewhere deep down in his heart he <em>had</em> thought of it.</p><p>He composed himself, not wanting to lose face in front of <em>her</em>.</p><p>"I couldn't care less about my home, my people, or my parents."</p><p>Too defensive. She raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him. "And what's helping you destroy him going to get me? You'll probably want to take his place as the so-called emperor of the universe, won't you? Helping you will just draw Frieza's attention to <em>us</em>, or wherever else we go to work on a plan, it would only get more innocent people hurt."</p><p><em>Damn her</em>, she could see right through him! That shouldn't have been <em>possible</em>, but then again Bulma wasn't stupid or idealistic like her foolish Earth friends. He <em>didn't</em> give a shit about what happened to Earth or wherever else he took the fight with Frieza, he should have just eliminated her the second she started questioning him.</p><p>But then…what would that get him, exactly? She could provide an advantage, something to speed up him getting strong enough to take on Frieza. He had to persist.</p><p>"You…are positively infuriating," he hissed through his teeth, trying to keep himself from losing his temper.</p><p>She smirked at him and winked. "Thanks, hot stuff, I try."</p>
<hr/><p>Quite honestly, Bulma <em>did</em> want to help Vegeta, but she just plain didn't trust him. He hadn't done anything to earn it and she knew better than to trust a man that she found attractive just because he was attractive (at least, she knew that <em>now</em>). He likely would discard her once he was done despite the use of the word "partner" and had no care for who got hurt in the middle of his struggle with Frieza.</p><p>Frieza was another story, Raditz had told them Earth was declared worthless as far as property value went so the army would never cross paths in their side of the galaxy. <em>Yet</em> Bulma couldn't stomach the idea of such a creature moving around freely and harming people just for his own gain. Bulma Briefs wasn't a noble hero that specifically sought out battles to defend the weak, none of them were, but dammit none of them could <em>ignore</em> it when they knew something was <em>wrong</em>. Her mind argued with itself, creating pros and cons to fighting Frieza, trying to work out how she would "agree" to Vegeta's offer of partnership while not agreeing at the same time.</p><p>Vegeta was wily, manipulative, probably used to getting his way.</p><p>Ah, but unfortunately for him, so was she, and Bulma <em>always</em> got her way.</p><p>"Let's say I agree to helping you, Vegeta," she began, raising her hands to his chest at first to push him away before reconsidering it. "You can't fool me, I know you'll want to take over Frieza's position and rule the universe after he's dead. You just want to get strong enough so no one will challenge you." Bulma pressed her hands on his chest, Vegeta took it as a signal to let go of her arms and did thusly. "So I'll ask you again, what's in it for <em>me</em>?"</p><p>He didn't answer, only stared down at where she was touching him with a self-conscious look.</p><p>"Vegeta." Bulma trailed her hands up to his shoulders before gripping the back of his head by the hair tight and making him look her in the eye. "What's in it for me if I help you?"</p><p>"I spare your worthless planet!" he growled, a faint flush to his cheeks now making itself apparent at the contact she initiated.</p><p>"That should go without saying, you malformed goblin!" she snapped back, pressing her nails into his scalp. This was without a doubt the most aggressive not-a-hug she had ever engaged in, even when she was mad at Yamcha it had never been quite like <em>this</em>. "What. Is in it. For <em>me</em>."</p><p>"Wh-what do you want me to <em>say</em>, exactly?" Vegeta stammered, now seeming entirely flustered the more aggressive she became. Weird. Saiyans must have not been used to anybody turning aggression back onto them. "That I will make you ruler along with me? That <em>isn't</em> what I meant by partner!"</p><p>"…I never said it was?"</p><p>What was with this guy, did he have zero experience with women or what?</p><p>Never mind, if there was one thing Bulma didn't want to do it was examine whether the man in front of her was a virgin or not. She sighed, "I'm not interested in ruling the universe either. Yeah, you spare the planet, that's a given, but I want more than that for my <em>expertise.</em> Let's say…you provide me with the tech you use in space so I can advance my research."</p><p>Vegeta gaped at her for a moment, appearing taken aback by her demands. "That's…that's <em>all</em>? I could give you anything as ruler of the universe, you could be the head technician of the research department I would set up. You just want <em>that</em>?"</p><p>She shrugged, finally removing herself from the embrace she had initiated, trying to step back only to find something solid had wrapped around her waist and was keeping her against Vegeta. "I don't need titles or anything like that, I just want to make peoples' lives better with my work. Maybe I can work on reversing the damage Frieza had done with more advanced tech after he's dead."</p><p>Unaware of how Vegeta continued to gawk at her sincere statement (to be fair to him, it was unusual for her to openly state something so selfless, usually she kept more heartfelt thoughts to herself) Bulma stared at whatever was holding her.</p><p>His tail.</p><p>Oh, right, Saiyans had tails.</p><p>It was quite strong for something so thin, she thought. Bulma reached down experimentally and stroked the fur. "Hey, does it have a mind of its own?" she asked, faintly feeling the shudder that came from Vegeta at the action.</p><p>"Don't—don't touch it! It's rude to touch other peoples' tails!" he whined with an odd peak in his voice.</p><p>"It's touching me without my permission?" Bulma sassed back, nonetheless removing her fingers from the tail. She didn't want to find out if it was some weird erogenous zone or something.</p><p>Vegeta stumbled over his words, extracting his tail from around her waist to bring it back around his own. "You are without a doubt the most annoying creature I've ever had the misfortune to deal with," he complained. "Even <em>worse</em>than from when we were children."</p><p>"I could say the same about you!" Bulma poked him on the chest, free hand on her hip. "You think you can just waltz on over to my planet whenever you want? I should have just shot you in the face the second you came back, but oh no, I had to try and work things out like a civilized person! I'm just too nice for my own good!"</p><p>"<em>Nice</em>?" Vegeta jeered, grasping her wrist to pull it away from him. "I've met and destroyed plenty of <em>nice</em> beings, you are hardly <em>nice</em>."</p><p>"And <em>you're</em> a pompous dickhead that's lucky he's cute or else I wouldn't even be continuing this conversation!"</p><p>"I'm <em>what</em>?"</p><p>Bulma blinked, pausing in trying to tug her hand away from Vegeta's grip. "Pompous dickhead?"</p><p>Vegeta gave her a weird look. "No, the other thing. Cute? I am not <em>cute</em>, warriors are not cute."</p><p>She rolled her eyes, giving up on trying to pull away from the solid hold. "That's what gets you bothered? Being called cute? You're acting like…"</p><p><em>A shy teenage boy, though that shouldn't be right considering the guy is only a year apart from me. And it's not like he's </em>that<em> ugly or anything, he couldn't possibly…</em></p><p>She reminded herself again she wasn't going to speculate on whether or not <em>Virgeta</em> was a thing.</p><p>"…A moron. You're acting like a moron."</p><p>He didn't rise to the bait or question what was with the pause she took (thankfully), Vegeta only grit his teeth in a quiet snarl and shook his head. "Fine. I agree to your terms. I leave Earth in peace and provide you with our tech." He paused before giving her a speculative look. "…Are you certain that's <em>all</em> you want?"</p><p>Bulma watched him for a moment, considering why he kept asking her if it was <em>all</em> she wanted—was he not used to being asked for very little from people? Did he suspect she was trying to use him somehow? It was rather sad that he was incapable of trusting people but at the same time she knew that he <em>couldn't</em> trust anybody in his life of death and destruction. <em>Since Frieza took him from his home</em>, she reflected on that. Raditz <em>did</em> say that they were very young when they were recruited into Frieza's army, and they were off-planet when the "meteors" hit. Frieza clearly wanted all but a few Saiyans out of the way so he wouldn't have to deal with the whole lot of them but at the same time still wanted their muscle.</p><p>Frieza without a doubt needed to be destroyed.</p><p>"Why don't you come with me back to my house?" she ended up asking him.</p><p>She would show him all the reasons of why, yes, <em>that's all</em>.</p>
<hr/><p>Nappa seemed to be taking the pause in whatever the hell he was doing with Vegeta abnormally well, Raditz observed as he sat with Tien and Chiaotzu. The old Saiyan was chatting amiably with Bulma's parents, downing one margarita after another as Mrs. Briefs made them. He could never resist a drink or two, of course, and the opportunity to speak with people around his own age was rare. He seemed to have settled on the topic of what Raditz and Vegeta would get up to as children, chuckling as he recalled.</p><p>Yamcha, in the meanwhile, was pacing back and forth waiting for Bulma to return, concern etched into his features. Kakarot was concerned too but less openly, choosing to play with Gohan to occupy his time.</p><p>Truthfully, Raditz was worried too. He knew Bulma had a mouth on her and could never resist talking back even to obvious superiors—well, not obvious to <em>her</em>, the caste system didn't exist to Earthlings and it never occurred to her to be afraid even of someone much stronger than her.</p><p>"She'll be fine," Tien said out of nowhere, watching Raditz. "Bulma's a tough woman. From what you've said about Saiyans, you respect that sort of thing, don't you?"</p><p>"Well…yes," Raditz admitted, unsure if he liked the implications of Bulma's strong will being…respectable to Saiyans. Vegeta wouldn't be taken in by it, of course, he was elitist to the core, which only made him worry more at the possibility of the prince losing his patience and killing the poor woman. He wasn't sure what Kakarot would do at the death of his oldest friend. He wasn't sure what <em>he</em> would do at that. Bulma was…well, he was sure she wouldn't object to it if he called her a friend, he was certain she would be happy that he did. She was kind and generous, accepting of others and eager to offer help, all of those things despite her spoiled tendencies. It would be a true waste if someone like her was killed.</p><p>"Raditz," Tien repeated, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Bulma will be <em>fine</em>. Have faith in her."</p><p>Automatically, Raditz covered his friend's hand with his own, sighing. "But…"</p><p>No buts, Tien's expression told him. Raditz nodded instead. Right. He would have to have faith in Bulma's ability to survive. Wasn't he the one who <em>knew</em> that she had the look of someone who had to fight for her own survival before, even in the most desperate measures? If Vegeta was going to…then she would…</p><p>Either possibility still made him <em>sick</em>.</p><p>Chi-Chi turned from the counter suddenly, sweeping off the dishes she was washing with a clatter and shatter. Raditz jolted in surprise at the noise, but everyone else appeared to take it with less drama than him. He watched Chi-Chi as she stood, rigid like she was sensing something <em>unpleasant</em> before she abruptly took off in a sprint towards the outside.</p><p>Raditz stood himself, calling after her to ask what she was doing. Kakarot only patted Gohan on the head and told him to stay there while he went and saw what Mom was doing.</p><p>Outside was pure chaos unlike Raditz had ever seen before, and Kakarot was so <em>calm</em> about it he just couldn't believe it.</p><p>Chi-Chi had run out and <em>shoved</em> Vegeta aside away from Bulma whilst she fussed and worried over the other woman, checking if there was a single hair out of place and blustering that she hoped that <em>horrible man</em> didn't put his hands on her. Vegeta, now planted in one of Mrs. Briefs' flowerbeds, looked completely pissed and stood to brush himself off so he could answer the blatant disrespect.</p><p>Kakarot phased between the two of them, giving that carefree look he usually did. "Hi!" he said, sticking out his hand to Vegeta in the offer of a greeting. "I'm Goku!"</p><p>"Kakarot," Vegeta responded, slapping away Kakarot's hand.</p><p>"Oh, yeah, that's my name too, I guess," he said with a shrug. He looked over his shoulder at the two women, expression turning serious. "You okay, Bulma?"</p><p>"Yeah—yeah—I'm goo—Chi-Chi, I swear, I'm <em>okay</em>," Bulma stammered. "Would you listen to me?!"</p><p>Raditz decided he needed to interrupt before the situation could escalate any further, though he wasn't as fast about it as Kakarot since he didn't learn any ridiculous teleporting tricks. "Vegeta—" he stumbled between the prince and his brother. "That's, um, that's Kakarot's wife—Chi-Chi, I mean, not Bulma."</p><p>Vegeta, faintly, looked disgusted at the implication that Raditz felt the need to clarify. Strange.</p><p>"It's amazing that you think I care, Raditz," he only said. "You know we sent you off to find Kakarot just to get rid of you for a while, right?"</p><p>"Eh…yeah," Raditz mumbled, knowing but wishing he didn't have to hear it confirmed <em>aloud</em>.</p><p>Kakarot scowled at Vegeta, Chi-Chi paused in her fussing and turned back to direct a glare of her own. "Don't be rude!" she scolded. "Raditz is a good man!"</p><p><em>A good man,</em> he nearly wheezed.</p><p>Vegeta barked out a cold laugh, shaking his head at the well-meaning princess. "You realize he's slaughtered just as many people as I have? Just because he's your idiot husband's brother doesn't mean a damn thing, do you understand?"</p><p>"Okay." Bulma pushed out from the crowd of the Son family to poke Vegeta in the forehead. "That's enough out of you, billboard-head, I didn't bring you here so you could be a little bitch." She then gestured at Capsule Corp.'s compound. "Welcome to my house."</p><p>Raditz only had a vague idea of what a billboard was but knew it had to have been large if it was in reference to Vegeta's forehead. He watched without comment nonetheless as Vegeta turned and took in the veritable palace with slightly widening eyes. Raditz had no context to what the prince might have been thinking, but he appeared to <em>understand</em> something right away.</p><p>"I see," was all Vegeta said in response.</p><p><em>What is even happening now?</em> Raditz thought with some dismay. <em>Were they </em>bargaining<em> about something before coming here?</em></p><p>Bulma led the way back inside the house, doing her best to answer Chi-Chi's probing questions about whether or not Vegeta had touched her inappropriately and if she was uninjured from the "ordeal" of being alone with the Saiyan. Raditz fell into step with Vegeta, behind the Earthlings, and asked: "What's the plan, then?"</p><p>"Things have changed," Vegeta responded curtly. "The woman has agreed to <em>assist</em> me."</p><p><em>Assist with </em>what<em>?</em> He wanted to ask before reminding himself it wasn't his place to question an elite Saiyan.</p><p>"Nappa, what the hell are you <em>doing</em>?!" Vegeta snapped the moment they stepped into the living room.</p><p>Nappa raised a glass to him in greeting, giving a carefree grin. "Just enjoying some Earth hospitality, Vegeta. You should try these, Panchy makes the best margaritas."</p><p>"Oh, darling, you flatter me!" Mrs. Briefs tittered, playfully slapping his shoulder (much to the alarm of Raditz and Vegeta).</p><p>Yamcha, without a word, crossed the room to Bulma and lifted her up in an earnest hug that made something in Raditz's gut twist. He noticed, too, a dark look flash over Vegeta's expression. It was only between friends, he reminded himself, especially as he heard Bulma reassuring Yamcha in low tones that she was fine and nothing happened and the man released her quickly.</p><p>"What's the matter, Vegeta?" Raditz teased. "Jealous? They're only friends."</p><p>"Hardly," Vegeta retorted. "You seemed more bothered at any rate."</p><p>He allowed that comment to pass without answer, he wasn't sure what he would even answer it with anyway, not to mention he was <em>already</em> pushing it with teasing Vegeta of all people.</p><p>Vegeta who, of course, repeatedly refused Mrs. Briefs' offers of making him a drink too. He was never the type to indulge in alcohol, though it took a lot to alter a Saiyan's mind significantly thanks to their metabolism, he never took the risk.</p><p>"Such a strong, handsome man!" Mrs. Briefs giggled, flapping her hand at her daughter. "Bulma, sweetie, you sure know how to pick 'em!"</p><p>"Mom…" Bulma sighed, rolling her eyes. Raditz was amazed at her composure, especially as Vegeta was angrily flushing at the <em>compliments </em>and implications behind what the matriarch was saying. "She always does this when I bring my friends home," Bulma added to Raditz when she noticed his perplexed look. "It's her way of making fun of me for having mostly guy friends, I think. Not like it's my fault martial arts is such a sausage party."</p><p>Sausage party? That sounded delicious—but it was probably not literal. It was probably in reference to something very private, which was weird as he knew for a fact not all males had—</p><p>"Uh," Raditz eloquently replied. Perhaps things were different on Earth. What a strange, backwards planet. "She seems more perverted than you are."</p><p>Rather than being offended at the observation, Bulma only laughed and patted him on the shoulder. "You're right! Both my mom and dad are, it's soooo embarrassing."</p><p>He wondered how Gine and Bardock would have been if they were still around to see him and Kakarot reach adulthood. Gine would likely get along famously with Chi-Chi, and Bardock would certainly approve of her and play with his grandson—probably encourage Kakarot to "get to work" immediately on the second grandchild as well.</p><p>Raditz realized he was watching the Briefs family wistfully as he lost himself in thought, then shook himself out of it.</p><p>"Are you okay?" Bulma asked him softly.</p><p>"I'm more worried about how you're going to deal with this 'partnership' you've got going with Vegeta," he said, understanding that he was being genuine in that moment.</p><p>"I'm a genius, I'll be fine," she assured him with a carefree grin.</p><p>"Right…so you say."</p><p>"I <em>am</em> and I <em>will</em>," she turned serious, giving him a defiant stare.</p><p>Oh, she was <em>very </em>fortunate Vegeta was too elitist to ever look at someone outside of their own race with interest, or else she would be in <em>big</em> trouble.</p>
<hr/><p>Vegeta had tried to examine every possible angle to conclude that this was a trap of some sort but could find no evidence to support his thought.</p><p>It seemed impossible—the girl, now grown woman, from his childhood that had chased him (and Raditz) off her planet was actually a genius scientist whose family happened to be akin to royalty in elite status. Earth <em>had</em> a monarch, technically, as he had studied in the form of a canine creature called "King Furry." Yet, he also learned the King and the woman's father were on <em>good terms</em>; the old man humorously mused to Nappa that Furry had practically begged him to be his successor to the throne but the doctor refused.</p><p>No, what the Briefs family dedicated themselves to was <em>philanthropic acts.</em></p><p>It was completely absurd. Who would just <em>refuse</em> to have the sort of power they had been offered all for the purpose of just <em>helping people</em>? The woman herself wasn't entirely the good-hearted soul that her parents were, Vegeta could see, she was warier of other people, carried herself with the sort of demeanor that spoke having been hunted and expecting to be someone's prey.</p><p><em>Yet</em> while she could have demanded a part of Vegeta's power when he inevitably became the next emperor of the universe, she only requested the opportunity to further expand her <em>knowledge</em>. She didn't trust him as far as she could throw him, but she welcomed the Saiyans into her house nonetheless, offered them food, clothing, their own bedrooms.</p><p>"We'll talk about our strategy for handling Frieza in the morning," she had told him as she showed herself out of his room. "Get some sleep."</p><p>Sleep? Vegeta sat down on the <em>unusually</em> comfortable bed. The woman had showed him a remote to adjust the levels of feel so he could find his <em>own</em> preference of comfort. He couldn't believe that Earthlings just <em>had</em> this sort of technology—adjustable beds, the capsules, but with other things they were so far behind the rest of space. They didn't even have the means to travel through space! Earthlings it seemed only concerned themselves with luxury and convenience, fitting considering how worthless their planet was in the PTO database.</p><p>Nappa had commented that he could get used to the sort of treatment they were getting, of course he did, the woman's parents fawned over him—the mother especially. The mother discomfited Vegeta to a great degree, while the woman's father was genuinely a kind and giving soul, something about <em>the mother</em> was different. Her eyes remained closed most of the time but still he had the <em>feeling</em> in his gut that she was watching them all <em>very carefully</em>, especially when they were around her daughter.</p><p>She had also called him Bulma's <em>boyfriend</em>—just like Nappa called the woman his <em>girlfriend</em>. They weren't words Vegeta understood but was starting to get the hint that it implied some sort of relationship that neither of them were interested in having.</p><p>Well…he wasn't interested in having a relationship, that didn't mean he wasn't finding himself interested in <em>other</em>things with the woman.</p><p>Vegeta scowled, rubbing his eyes, pressing his hands into them as though it would reset his brain and get rid of the uncharacteristic <em>feelings</em> that had begun to make themselves known the second he had made the mistake of observing the woman was <em>extremely</em> defiant and strong-willed. She was physically weak, at least she was compared to him and the warriors that she surrounded herself with. Yet, <em>yet</em> Bulma displayed the qualities of a leader and the warriors around her unquestionably followed her command.</p><p>Earthlings, human-type Earthlings at least, strongly resembled Saiyans—far more than any other alien that Vegeta had run into in his life. There were some that matched a couple of superficial traits, but there was always <em>something</em>that was just a bit <em>off</em> and made it too uncanny for his tastes.</p><p>It never bothered Nappa and Raditz, of course, but they were idiots.</p><p>He cursed to himself, it wouldn't be so <em>difficult</em> if they hadn't met as children, if he hadn't already known that she was an opponent that he was eager to even out the playing field with. She had driven him off disgracefully when they were young, forcing a <em>retreat</em> of all things on him. He was supposed to kill her, he wouldn't have had trouble with it usually, but instead…he called a <em>truce</em>. Vegeta <em>never</em> called a truce for anybody or anything.</p><p>Except. Her. It was always. <em>Her.</em></p><p>Vegeta stood, tail lashing, energy spiking and sparking within him trying to find <em>some</em> way out. Usually he would go destroy something, but no—he couldn't, that would cause too much of a fuss, and he wasn't a <em>child</em> throwing a tantrum. He had to have more control than that.</p><p>Before he realized what he was doing, his feet were taking him out of his room down the hall to where he <em>knew</em>Bulma's room was, where her scent was strongest. He unceremoniously opened the door and strode into the room, not minding the yelp of shock and tilting his head to the side to dodge the object she had thrown at him. "Woman—" he began.</p><p>"Get out!" she shrieked at him, now slapping a button on her wall.</p><p>Several guns popped out of the ceiling, pointing laser sights at him.</p><p>Well.</p><p>Somehow he was taken aback and unsurprised at the same time.</p><p>"Isn't this a little dramatic?" he asked, looking at the red dots lighting up his skin distastefully. "You're acting like I—"</p><p>Vegeta realized when he looked up at her he had severely miscalculated.</p><p>Bulma was wearing…something. Some little scraps of cloth that almost looked like shorts but <em>very</em> much shorter, though she was covering her chest as well Vegeta could see that she was wearing <em>some</em> sort of shirt only just barely covering her up. They might have been sleeping clothes but damned if they weren't the <em>tiniest</em> sleeping clothes he had ever seen.</p><p>He realized then he was standing there, staring, open-mouthed like an idiot. It was probably a bad idea to directly confront Bulma about his inexplicable draw to her.</p><p>But Vegeta wasn't the kind of person to admit defeat, especially not to a person he had already done that with <em>once</em>. He closed his mouth and cleared his throat, trying to tear his eyes away from her alluring body and focus on her face.</p><p>There were, after all, still guns pointed right at him, and anybody could call him whatever they wanted but he wasn't a <em>pervert</em>.</p><p>"I am not here to harm you, woman," he managed to say calmly.</p><p>Something flashed over her expression for a moment, something like distrust, a darkness that spoke of vile things that while Vegeta despised he was aware that <em>other</em> soldiers indulged in, taking advantage of their status. He hated the deplorable scum that committed those acts. He had gotten into trouble quite a few times for killing other soldiers in the Force that he caught doing such things.</p><p>But she didn't have to know that. And he doubted telling her that, acknowledging or pointing out that it was what she was thinking of would be calming, it would likely make things much worse.</p><p>Bulma took a deep breath, composed herself, and pressed the button again to disengage the guns.</p><p>"On Earth, we knock before coming in," she stated, affecting an indifferent tone.</p><p>"Well, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not from here," Vegeta responded, putting his hands on his hips and affecting an uncaring tone right back.</p><p>Whatever he was trying to do with calming her nerves, it seemed to work as she chuffed out a laugh, holding a hand to her mouth to cover it. "Was that a <em>joke</em>, your highness?" she snorted.</p><p>"I admit nothing of the kind," he scoffed, raising his chin.</p><p>"All right," she said, turning to retrieve a thin robe from a hook on her closet door and draping it over herself. "As lovely as it is getting to experience your ironic humor, what are you doing in my room?"</p><p>He had miscalculated again. What was he supposed to tell her? <em>You need to stop being so defiant right now before I have to confront that I might be attracted to you?</em> For one, he didn't <em>want</em> her to stop being defiant, it was entertaining. For the other…<em>admitting</em> he might have been attracted to her? That just wouldn't do, he wouldn't give her the satisfaction of such a thing.</p><p>In the absence of an answer from him, the silence stretched on. Bulma tilted her head at him and tried to get him talking again: "Having trouble sleeping?"</p><p>"Yes," he answered.</p><p>It wasn't <em>totally</em> a lie.</p><p>She really didn't <em>have</em> to soften her look like she was feeling sympathy towards him.</p><p>(But she <em>was</em> feeling sympathy, he knew. Earthlings were sentimental creatures.)</p><p>"I get it," she said, sitting down on her bed and patting the space next to her, <em>inviting</em> him to sit with her. "New planet, new people, you're probably a little nervous. Come on, let's talk for a bit, maybe it'll calm you down."</p><p><em>Seriously?</em> Vegeta thought, eyeing the spot with suspicion. He was notorious for being a merciless warrior that destroyed entire civilizations with no regrets. The woman herself <em>just</em> had a mild panic attack thinking he was coming into her room for…improper reasons.</p><p>And now she was inviting him to sit down on her bed and <em>talk</em>?</p><p>That was ridiculous.</p><p>Yet he sat down anyway, keeping his tail loose around his waist, hands resting on his knees, trying to focus on the ceiling rather than her right next to him.</p><p>He expected her to start talking to fill the quiet as he already got the impression she <em>never</em> stopped talking. Surprising him completely, Bulma only sat there in silence with him, letting it settle into something resembling companionable.</p><p>"I can't bring back your people," she eventually said in that soft, sincere tone. "And I can't bring back your original home, either. But…maybe I can help you make a new one."</p><p><em>Here with you?</em> he thought almost not believing how sappy she was being. They <em>barely</em> knew each other—weird inexplicable attraction and respect on his part notwithstanding.</p><p>There was no way he would settle for living a safe, mediocre life on Earth.</p><p>Evidently she agreed as she continued: "That's what I'm thinking, creating an entirely new planet for us to take your training and eventually the fight with Frieza. That way no other established planet will get caught in the crossfire."</p><p>Oh.</p><p>All questions aside of <em>how</em> that would happen, why did he feel…disappointed that it wasn't what he initially thought?</p><p>But…us?</p><p>"Are you planning to join me on this planet?" Vegeta asked, raising a skeptical brow at her. "I thought you didn't want to be a subordinate?"</p><p>"I don't, I'll <em>never</em> be your subordinate," Bulma bit back with a subtle curl of her lip upwards.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Scrap 2: Heart of Stars</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>A lost princess from a royal family that was never meant to be or wanted to be a royal family, a tyrant, a disgraced prince. How and why does all of this mix together?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was circa...2018 I think? Yeah I don't know what it was, scrapped work number 2, I think it was an attempt at doing a fantasy/fairy tale take on DB buuuut, eh, I scrapped it because it felt weird leaving it hanging and I couldn't think of how to proceed with it (also imo it wasn't...good). Again you may notice that concepts may repeat from other fics that I have currently published, that's because I've taken scraps from these scrapped works and used the ideas elsewhere (can you actually plagiarize yourself?)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
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</p><p>            Towards the North of the Galaxy, a sphere of blue and green orbited among a line of others around a fiery star. It was not the largest, nor even the most brilliant-looking, it didn't even have the distinction of raining diamonds. "Ee-Arth" as it was classified by the Frieza Force seemed to be missed entirely and avoided any alien contact, allowing it to thrive in peace.    </p><p>Earth, teeming with life, evolved at a slower pace than other civilizations—not that the Earthlings knew. The line between the use of magic and technology, natural and developed, traditional and modern remained balanced by the ruling monarch of the planet. King Briefs, a caring and gentle man with a brilliant mind, watched over his people attentively aided by the old witch Baba's crystal ball. His Queen, Panchy, brought beauty and happiness by way of her garden and expertise in cooking (though many tried to convince her a royal <em>shouldn't</em> be doing such things).</p><p>Though they were beloved by the inhabitants of Earth, they had no children of their own for many years into their rule until their first daughter was born. Princess Tights, with golden hair like her mother and dark eyes like her father, was a calm child that made a hobby of writing. Years passed before their second daughter, hair blue as the sky and eyes blue as the ocean, came into the world. She was named Bulma, already imbued with a fiery spirit and an intellect beyond her years.</p><p>With the joy their daughters brought them and the kingdom, it seemed there would be happiness on planet Earth ever after.</p><p>If only all tales ended so nicely.</p><p>A dark shadow came over the planet on the eve of Princess Bulma's first birthday. An alien had come to Earth, bringing with him nothing but fear and misery. Not that "Emperor Frieza" as he called himself came forth with the intentions being obvious. No, Frieza was a polite and sophisticated guest, happily invited into the castle to celebrate with the court by the royal family where he shared the knowledge of the universe that the Earth had missed out on.</p><p><em>"You could go even further into the universe, King Briefs," </em>said the Emperor with honeyed promises in his tone. <em>"I will give you this opportunity, because I have grown so fond of Earth and would enjoy seeing it flourish."</em></p><p>Frieza did not have to make any offers to be allowed to set up base on Earth, the King insisted, sadly unaware of the true nature of the devious despot. There was plenty of space on Earth, and Earthlings were always happy to share.</p><p><em>"I'm all too happy to settle here, Majesty, your planet is unique in its </em>untouched <em>quaintness." </em></p><p>Frieza emphasized "untouched" with a note unfamiliar to the peaceful kingdom as he left his hovering vehicle then to approach the infant princess's crib. <em>"What I am referring to is conscription into my </em>army<em>, King Briefs."</em></p><p>The room fell deathly silent—<em>army</em> implied <em>battle</em> which implied <em>war</em>. Earthlings rarely encountered the need for fighting, even the soldiers around the castle found little use for their weapons.</p><p><em>"Your daughter—this one—" </em>He picked up the child, staring deep into her eyes, and sending a shockwave of gasps through the court. <em>"When she reaches the age of five, she will be able to enlist. Think of it, she will travel through space, receive the best training, of course with her royal status she will be counted among my elites. I do not often petition a kingdom in this way, </em>Briefs<em>, it would be in your </em>best interest<em> to take my offer."</em></p><p>It was unheard of, <em>obscene</em>, this monster had the audacity to not only speak of making a princess into a soldier for his army but refer to the King so informally? <em>Any</em> person did not deserve such a fate, of course, but to speak so directly of teaching genocide and destruction to a <em>child</em> was pure evil!</p><p><em>"And should I refuse?"</em> asked the King.</p><p><em>"Oh, I will simply kill your heirs and take over your planet outright. You and the Queen are far past the proper age to produce another, aren't you? And I've done my research, the only family you have is the Queen's errant sister." </em>He had the gall to say that they were lucky the planet held little value even if it should have been cleared of all life and sold so it would remain unpurged with a hearty chortle.</p><p>Princess Tights spoke up in protest to the tyrant: <em>"Then take </em>me<em> instead of my sister, Lord Frieza! Father, we can't let any harm come to our people!"</em></p><p><em>"No, no, no, you silly thing—you're too </em>old<em> for me to </em>shape<em>," </em>Frieza hissed, running his fingers across the hair of the infant's head in a mockery of affection. <em>"This one I sense potential in. Her eyes are keen for something at her stage of development. </em>She<em> would go far in my army."</em></p><p>A lot of complimentary words to say that the younger princess would be easier for him to <em>manipulate</em>. The good king still refused but begged Frieza to take his life rather than spill the blood of other innocents.</p><p><em>"Clearly," </em>Frieza declared, ignoring all petitions and begging, <em>"You need time to think. I will grant you one day to think it over, I </em>must<em> get started with setting up my base."</em></p><p>He bid them farewell that time, leaving the unhappy court in turmoil.</p><p>That was when <em>my</em> role in the tale changed from observer to participant.</p><p>Allow me to explain, I am the Guardian of Earth, though I do not look like a typical Earthling—in fact my origin is far from Earth. I am "Kami"—I have forgotten my true name as a being originating from Namek. I landed on Earth centuries ago, yet that is not important to tell at this time—the point is what happens on Earth is unquestionably my business. Allowing Frieza to act as he pleased was an abhorrent idea. I summoned Baba to me for assistance in a complicated maneuver of trickery involving an equally complicated wish. I needed her magic just as I needed the magic of my own guardian and friend Mr. Popo if I was to pull something like this off.</p><p><em>"Go to the King and Queen," </em>I told her. <em>"Tell them you will take the Princesses somewhere safe—I will direct you where. I will protect everyone from Frieza."</em></p><p>Oh, of course, she questioned the wisdom in what I intended, but I was resolute. No harm or death would ever come to an Earthling by Frieza or his soldiers, that was the last request I and Mr. Popo made on the wish spheres I had created. To prevent anyone else from finding them again, I sent them to chosen hiding places.</p><p>Upon seeing <em>both</em> heirs to the kingdom were missing, Frieza was enraged; how could this happen? Why? And why couldn't he <em>punish</em> anyone for disobeying him? It was a gamble, certainly, it took a lot of power and there was no guarantee that Frieza would not just destroy the whole planet, short tempered thing that he was.</p><p>Fortunately, something else distracted him at that time and brought him away from the planet. I did not know what transpired then, only that the order was given to find the Princesses and keep a close eye on the elder monarchs.</p><p>Princess Tights, though she stayed with me for a time on my Lookout, allowed herself to be found, wanting to be with her parents as she told me. She knew what was best, of course, and no harm could come to her now. Only, with her found the search for Princess Bulma became more aggressive especially as she grew past the age for desired recruitment. Not being allowed his way on several levels, it was fortunate that the whatever-it-was kept Frieza away for so long.</p><p>Years passed, Princess Bulma—wherever Baba hid her—turned 18. Frieza returned to Earth bringing his elite soldiers.</p><p>He was calm again, polite as usual, and granted his version of mercy to the Earth. He would take Princess Bulma and leave Earth to its devices entirely, now it was simply a matter of <em>finding</em> her.</p><p>Among his elites, I came to learn, he had—for the lack of a better term—abducted and groomed the young prince of a destroyed planet. I could sense great darkness in this prince's heart, yet at the same time indescribable rage towards Frieza leading me to believe the young man was a failed project that now suffered a tight leash. Besides all of that, I could not gain much insight into his background, mind and soul completely shut off.</p><p>Frieza and the Prince's companion, however, told me unspeakable horrors through their memories of a race enslaved, used, then destroyed as I wish to prevent happening to Earth. The cruel deceit in the form of Frieza maliciously destroying their home, then telling the survivors it was a meteor shower invoked a sympathy in me I did not expect when considering the countless innocent lives ended by the "Saiyans" as they were called.</p><p>But nothing is ever perfectly black and white, is it?</p><p>For the present, the story goes on, Baba took Princess Bulma to a remote village where the witch has assembled the greatest fighters—including her hermit brother—to shield and nurture the girl as she grows. Nobody in the village knows of the girl Baba claims to be her niece as being anyone other than that—the old witch's niece; smart as a whip, unending in creativity and mechanical talent, almost ethereally beautiful. Baba named her Celeste, not entirely erasing her true name (only name, not the title) from the Princess's life but giving no hint that it means anything and using her magic to obscure all memory in the villagers of the name <em>and</em> the whole royal family.</p><p>(I wish it did not have to go that far, but sadly it was all too necessary for her safety.)</p><p>Outsiders to the village are scrutinized carefully, "Celeste" is kept out of sight when visitors come. And suitors? Well, Baba's warriors see to it that the girl is dutifully protected from anyone with impure intentions.</p><p>I cannot be sure how long the Princess's—and Earth's, for that matter—safety can be maintained. I can only pray we have done the right thing, even for all the suffering this family has had to endure.</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>As the Guardian busied himself with his duties in protecting his beloved planet, the story of another family from humbler beginnings started to unfold.</p><p>Quietly, with no fanfare or violence, the family's ship landed in the wilderness of Mount Paozu, escaping the fateful destruction of their planet. Bardock, Gine, and their two sons did not know what to make of where they had landed at first—Bardock had been in a rush when a vision struck him and took the nearest two-person pod with coordinates of a hospitable planet programmed in. Much to the couple's dismay, the very tyrant they were trying to escape had set up base on the planet years ago.</p><p><em>"Well,"</em> Bardock concluded. <em>"He's not here now, we threw away our scouters, and it seems peaceful here, all we can do is settle in."</em></p><p>Saiyans were keen with survival, they would be able to manage fine on their own.</p><p>However, fate had other plans for them in the form of Son Gohan, the hermit of Paozu, coming to investigate the explosion near his home. Naturally, he was taken aback to find <em>people</em> out in the woods, but Gohan was a kind man and invited them back to his home. <em>"There isn't much room, but I can always fix that," </em>he said, further surprised at how <em>ravenous</em> the strangers were.</p><p>It was only by Gine's insistence, having become fond of the old man and wanting to keep him company, that the family stayed.</p><p>Gohan, in turn, was fond of the couple and their sons, already viewing them as family himself.</p><p>As the years went by, life on Earth was good; Raditz and Kakarot—given the second name "Goku" or "sky child" from Gohan—were trained under the watchful eye of their father and adoptive grandfather with no mind to their former lives.</p><p>Regrettably, all good things come to an end, and for the sons of Bardock that was when some unwelcome visitors came to the humble abode of Son Gohan.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>"Well, hello there." Gohan opened the door, eyeing the visitors shrewdly.</p><p>Two men with piercing black eyes—clearly trying to intimidate though Gohan was <em>very</em> used to that sort of thing—one very tall, the other not so much, one bald, the other rather <em>unique</em> in appearance with upward spikes of black hair. Like a fire, he supposed, though otherwise Gohan would think the young man got into a fight with a lightning storm and lost.</p><p>The aura of <em>darkness</em> prevented Gohan from making any smart remarks right away, between that and the telltale armor told that the men were <em>not</em> here for pleasantries and tea. Perhaps for his Dragon Ball, he would have theorized next had not Bardock come to his side at the feel of the energies.</p><p>"Nappa, and Prince Vegeta," he greeted with no surprise but the usual flat stoicism. "Not surprised you're bald now, Nappa. Little surprised you decided to darken my doorway, though."</p><p>The delighted squeal of Gine broke any further tension when she pushed past her husband and adoptive father, meat cleaver in hand, to marvel at the visitors. "Nappa! Prince Vegeta! It's been so long, I can't believe you made it out! Oh—your highness, you're so tall now!"</p><p>(Nobody present would say it was no big accomplishment to be taller than her slight self.)</p><p>Vegeta, as it was whom the smaller man with the crazy hair was, made an odd face that spoke trying to hide embarrassment in the wake of greeting an affectionate aunt. He relaxed nothing in his posture otherwise, glancing over every person in front of him with the air of even <em>looking</em> at them being beneath him. "Where is Raditz?" he eventually asked in a rough and deep voice.</p><p>Gohan supposed others would find that intimidating in the absence of stature in the apparent prince. He did not especially find it so, not after the abrupt shift and growth spurt from Raditz. If he had to give a guess, he figured Vegeta to be around the same age. As for the other one, Nappa, he was less of a friendly recognition even for all of Gine's initial cheerful greetings. He must have been a military official back on their planet of some kind, a brute most certainly if the aura of death around him indicated anything.</p><p>"Why, the boys are out hunting," he broke through the tension with a friendly chuckle. "Preparing for dinner and such, why don't you join us?"</p><p>The two Saiyans—he assumed they were Saiyans since they knew his little family—would not be convinced, they only stared back at him coldly.</p><p>He supposed he was meant to be intimidated by <em>that</em>, too.</p><p>"Hey, come on!" Gine snapped, planting her free hand on her hip and pointing her cleaver at Nappa and Vegeta, alternating between whom she was pointing at. "If you're here, you might as well stay for supper! I'll send out Bardock to get Raditz and Kakarot—"</p><p>"Enough <em>prattle</em>!" Vegeta spat, tapping at something on the device on his ear. "I'll find them myself! Useless idiots!" He shot off like a bullet, kicking up a storm of dust and angry ki in his wake.</p><p>Gohan simply held a handkerchief over his mouth, watching the streak disappear into the sky, before turning his attention back to Nappa. "Well. That all being said, would you like to come in for tea?"</p><p>Nappa, strangely enough, complied. He must have felt there was nothing else to do until his leader got back.</p>
<hr/><p>Deep in the forest, by a certain lake, two brothers patiently fished for dinner.</p><p>Neither of them had rods, of course, they dipped their tails in the water and waited. Though they had effectively grown up on Earth, Raditz and Kakarot both remained in tune with their Saiyan roots: eating, fighting, and surviving. However, with the influence of Grandpa (as they called him) Kakarot had grown to be a cheerful and friendly sort, just like their mother tended towards being. Raditz remained a tougher type, putting up a front of indifference (not so out of the ordinary from a regular sulky teenager) and giving his brother a hard time for being soft. They all knew better, the second their mother put her foot down Raditz would fall into line just the same as Kakarot.</p><p>Despite it, Raditz enjoyed life on Earth away from the annoying pressures of being beneath someone else, he knew what kind of life they would have lived (or <em>not</em> if Bardock's prediction about the planet was true) if they had stayed. He didn't miss planet Vegeta.</p><p>"Hey, Raditz?" Kakarot looked up at him, a frown twisting his normally relaxed features. "I feel someone comin' this way. Their energy is huge."</p><p>Raditz, not being as perceptive to what Grandpa had trained them in with sensing energy as Kakarot was, quieted his mind to focus. The pressure of power bore down on him immediately, shocking a gasp from the elder. "<em>Fuck</em>—" He shuddered, shaking his head, standing and almost stumbling backwards. "I know who that is—and—there's another, back at the house!"</p><p>"What should we do?" the younger brother gasped, standing up along with him. "There's a person coming here, but Mom and Dad and Grandpa—"</p><p>Too late. The intruder landed in front of them with an eerie amount of grace, staring the brothers down. Kakarot shifted into a defensive position, taking out his Power Pole to point at the man. "What do you want?" he demanded.</p><p>"V-Vegeta…" Raditz stammered in contrast to his little brother, already taking a step back. He recognized that horrible visage, that proud stance, the oppressive aura—Vegeta, the dreadful Prince of all Saiyans. He remembered missions with the devil, how demanding and haughty he was yet at the same time a <em>brat from Hell</em>. "What…why—"</p><p>"Raditz, you know this guy?" Kakarot glanced at him suspiciously. "Who's Veggibah?"</p><p>"<em>Vegeta</em>, like the planet! This is—"</p><p>"I can't stand long introductions," Vegeta interrupted with a scoff, he gestured to the smaller Saiyan. "And you pipe down, Kakarot, you have no hope of fighting me whatsoever. Your cooperation will make this go a lot faster."</p><p>Kakarot moved to argue until Raditz whacked the back of his head with his tail, sending the boy face-first into the dirt. "<em>Kakarot</em>, he's right, we're seriously outclassed here!" he spat before turning back to Vegeta. "What—what do you want? It's been years, why are you seeking out my family <em>now</em>?"</p><p>Vegeta sighed harshly, rolling his eyes at the continued insistence of explaining his actions. "We've been stationed here on Earth for the moment to handle a mission from Frieza."</p><p>"We don't work for Frieza!" the persistent Kakarot sputtered, pushing himself up from the dirt and wiping his face off.</p><p>"I have been <em>informed</em>," Vegeta continued as though the boy hadn't said anything. "That you have a certain connection with an old witch who used to be an advisor to the royal family here."</p><p>A silence fell over the brothers, something clenched in Raditz's stomach as Kakarot looked between the two older Saiyans. "Old Lady Baba? Wait—Raditz, what's a royal family?"</p><p>Vegeta stared blankly at him, then to Raditz. "Is your brother <em>damaged</em>?"</p><p>"He's just…a slow learner. Mom says he's a late bloomer." Raditz shrugged, shifting again to look for a quick getaway path without the prince noticing. "Granny Baba doesn't work for those people anymore, though."</p><p>"Oh wait!" Kakarot interrupted, seeming totally ignorant to the situation as it was going on. "You wanna see Celeste?"</p><p>"<em>Kakarot</em>!" he snapped, kicking his brother into the lake.</p><p>Vegeta appeared unperturbed by the splashing and gasping from him as Kakarot struggled out of the water. "We're to report back immediately. Frieza wanted to bring you up to speed when I mentioned you were here, but it seems you're already aware of what he's looking for."</p><p>"Still looking for the Princess?" Raditz responded, equally unperturbed by Kakarot's reappearance at his side. "Celeste isn't the Princess, she's a <em>mechanic</em> <em>freak</em> that—"</p><p>"Celeste shot Raditz in the face when we were kids!" Kakarot interrupted with a wide grin, completely oblivious to the fish flopping around in his hair. "He's been scared of her ever since!"</p><p>For a moment, he could almost swear he saw the flicker of a smirk come to Vegeta's face, but it was gone before he could properly register it. "Well…I said her gun was a toy and she got mad at me. Nothing more than that, she's not remotely—"</p><p>"—It wasn't that bad, though, she shot me too," Kakarot continued. "She's silly!"</p><p>"Look, whatever the case," Vegeta waved his hand to silence any further babblings from the siblings. "You have to come back with me to the base, suit up, and get the mission briefing from Frieza. We follow this lead, and if it turns up nothing, we'll just report that back to him."</p><p>He didn't seem very enthused to be on this kind of mission, Raditz guessed from it that he must have been here on punishment doing menial tasks as penance. That didn't mean he had to drag <em>them</em> into it. Kakarot fidgeting, scowling. "I don't <em>like</em> that armor!" he protested. "And you can't go see Celeste unless you get past the old lady's fighters!"</p><p>"Kakarot, shut up. We're going to go, get it over with, then once they see Celeste <em>isn't</em> the Princess we'll go back home in time for dinner."</p><p>"But <em>Raditz</em>," he whined with a pout.</p><p>Sadly, no amount of petitions or protests would move Vegeta from his mission of disrupting the brothers' peaceful life to aid him on the task of finding Princess Bulma. Raditz had heard the rumors, of course, that the younger Princess of Earth's Royal Family was out there somewhere living life—he thought it to be nothing more than rumor. In his opinion, the Princess was dead and there was <em>no way</em> the girl the Saiyans were thinking of investigating was <em>anything</em> close to a Princess.</p><p>They didn't speak much on the way back home and then to the base (aside from the bemused commentary about Kakarot's <em>insistence</em> on using a cloud for travel), Nappa tried a couple of times to get the two to share their information about Celeste only to have Kakarot in return just say she was a "good friend." Raditz was a little more opinionated, talking about how the idiot girl was so bossy and <em>loud</em>, how she obsessed over machinery and gadgets in the most ridiculous way, he emphasized all the ways she <em>wasn't</em> regal in the slightest.</p><p>"She cute, at least?" Nappa asked.</p><p>Raditz snorted, "<em>No</em>, she's hideous."</p><p>Kakarot didn't understand the question but reprimanded Raditz for his unkind words. "Celeste is really nice! Raditz just hates her 'cause she always beats 'im up."</p><p>"I said is she <em>cute</em>, Kakarot," the oldest Saiyan grunted back. "I mean would you fu—"</p><p>"Nappa, that's enough!" Vegeta broke into their conversation as they landed. "As if her <em>looks</em> really matter when she's <em>dead</em>."</p><p>Raditz's stomach dropped. "But…F-Frieza—I mean <em>Lord</em> Frieza—ugh—he wants her, doesn't he? What good is she to him dead?"</p><p>Kakarot was a little more reactive, shoulders stiffening while he glared suspiciously at the unwelcome Saiyans. "You're not gonna <em>hurt</em> her, are you?"</p><p>"Frieza said that I'm allowed to deal with her as I see fit should she turn out to be the Princess," Vegeta said with the frigid air of being completely uninvested in the topic. "If she dies, so what?"</p><p>So what, indeed. The brothers did not want their friend to die at the hands of this ruthless man, though their protests that she most definitely <em>wasn't </em>a princess let alone <em>the</em> Princess were ignored.</p><p>Frieza was not there. He had moved to the castle in the time Nappa and Vegeta had spent looking for the absent Saiyans. Vegeta growled in annoyance, ordering an immediate change of course to the castle in the West.</p><p>"I've never been West before," Kakarot said in aside to Raditz. "What do you think we're gonna see at the castle?"</p><p>"Probably a whole lot of misery considering Frieza's there," Raditz mumbled back.</p><p>He had a terrible feeling, an awful feeling that things were no longer going to be the same or even go back to normal <em>after</em> they had completed their mission.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>With the tale of an Earth family meeting with a cruel fate and a Saiyan family escaping their cruel fate slowly weaving together on the great tapestry of the universe, how could another story come to be? It seemed things could not become more complicated, even as Kami worked to keep Frieza from harming Earth while Raditz and Kakarot tried to steer the soldiers away from their friend.</p><p>However, even if he personally would not have wished to be involved with a complex story, let alone one that would abruptly change his own fate, Prince Vegeta was another player to consider.</p><p>He had been taken from his planet young, as Kami deduced, and groomed to be a hard-hearted mercenary under Frieza. It was a role he fit into easily, by his understanding it was the nature of Saiyans to be cruel and violent, even his own father would say to him that he looked <em>forward</em> to the young one becoming a <em>vicious king</em> in the future.</p><p>He looked forward to it as well, until his planet had been destroyed.</p><p>Vegeta did not outwardly show emotion the day when the news broke, only absently said to Nappa that it was for the better they had ignored Frieza's return order in that case. He had groaned in a long-suffering manner, "<em>Now I'll </em>never<em>get to be King Vegeta</em>!"</p><p>Bold talk for a seven-year-old. He showed no care for his family being lost, his people either, he continued with obeying Frieza and growing into a killing machine like nothing happened.</p><p>It was more accurate to say that Vegeta <em>did</em> care, he simply was unsure of how to process or cope with how much he cared, hiding any tears that came forth involuntarily, not speaking for long periods of time, denying himself physical wants and needs for days on end as a means of training. Emotions did not come easily to him, especially not when he lived a solitary life in a cruel universe where any show of emotion was a weakness. He wasn't Prince Vegeta to anyone but himself and those few living Saiyans, otherwise it became a title of mockery towards him from the stronger ones in Frieza's army.</p><p>The lonely Prince with no people, no throne, no honor to speak of grew to resent his lot in life and the master that shaped him—or <em>tried</em> to shape him, much to Frieza's chagrin Vegeta remained a defiant <em>volatile</em> "stupid monkey" as he would call him. He threw himself into every fight, every training session, with the hope of one day <em>destroying</em> the monster that had ruled his life, his every move was calculated with no margin for error.</p><p>That did not mean Vegeta never made mistakes, in fact he made quite a few of them, especially when his temper was set off. A mistake was <em>why</em> he was on the miserable primitive planet of Earth doing some meaningless searching task for Frieza. It was Cui's fault, he had tried to explain, Cui was the one who grabbed him and forced him to look at the moon. <em>Cui</em> was why he became a Great Ape and totally devastated the planet that was meant to remain undamaged for sale.</p><p>Of course, Frieza would hear none of it. <em>Stupid monkeys shouldn't talk</em> he would say.</p><p>He knew Raditz and his family had ended up on the backwater planet of Earth, intel he had taken showed that their so-called "grandpa" was associated with the hag fortuneteller that used to have the King's ear at that. To be honest, Vegeta believed Raditz when he said that there was no way the Princess of Earth was still alive, he <em>really</em> didn't need to keep babbling about how unladylike or whatever the witch's niece was. All that was needed was to shut up, finish the mission, and get the fuck off Earth, the sooner the better.</p><p>"As I've told Vegeta," Frieza intoned in the arrogant voice he despised so much. "You can either bring the Princess back to me alive or proof that you have killed her. Earthlings would call a lock of their hair a proper souvenir, wouldn't they, Briefs?"</p><p>The frail old man, stooped over from age, dressed in a plain white lab coat only looked at Frieza impassively. He hadn't said a word since the Saiyans arrived, just watched them with those dark eyes of his, nary a twitch to the faded grey mustache to indicate an expression or a gesture of any kind.</p><p>"Ah, don't mind him," Frieza chuckled. "He's gone a bit dotty since losing his dear Bulma, he just spends his days toiling in the castle labs nowadays."</p><p>Labs, something nagged at Vegeta. The girl was described by Raditz as being a "mechanic freak" always fiddling with some machine or another and creating different devices. He internally groaned as he made the connection that if King Briefs was mechanically inclined it only made sense his daughter would be as well. That meant the mission would take <em>much</em> longer and would be <em>more</em> complicated, good thing Frieza allowed the idea of killing her. He could do killing and…taking her hair, he supposed. A gesture he wouldn't do ordinarily, he didn't take <em>souvenirs </em>or held onto anything for very long. He would bring a body part or show his bloodied hands if he was going to be <em>prompted</em> to prove he killed something (but why would he need to? Didn't he prove himself to kill without hesitation <em>enough</em>). It was something symbolic to humans, though, and the idea of it amused Frieza so—fine—hair it would be.</p><p>The Queen, as well, hardly spoke, only swept around the room watering some plants with an empty look on her face. From the large picture that hung in the main hall, Queen Panchy used to be a ray of <em>sunshine</em>, her blonde curls pinned up and a smile always on her face. Now her curls hung limp over her shoulders, not as shiny or bright as they should have been, and she made no eye contact.</p><p>The castle was <em>all right</em> as far as the architecture of inferior lifeforms went, shockingly modern considering the data files on Earth customs and styles. There must have been a neglect in updates by several…years; the King had an <em>office</em> of all things that he brought them to rather than the Throne Room. Apparently, <em>that</em> room had been locked since the disappearance of both princesses.</p><p>Princess Tights, as far as princesses went, was nothing like Vegeta expected either. Her hair was shorn, she didn't dress in anything <em>close</em> to denoting her status, as they were briefed on the mission she only busily typed at the computer on her father's desk. The rapid-fire clacks were starting to really grate on Vegeta that he almost opened his mouth to tell her to stop that or else he'd blast the damn thing before a <em>louder</em> noise overtook the clicking of keys.</p><p>"BINGO!" boomed a voice in the adjacent room. Tights stopped her typing, looking askance with tired eyes, Vegeta followed her gaze immediately wishing he hadn't when he caught sight of the Ginyu Force in front of one of those blasted viewing screens engaged in some <em>flailing of limbs</em> that counted as a dance to the idiots.</p><p>Frieza, realizing that Vegeta was no longer looking at him and Tights had stopped her scribing duties, cleared his throat. "Um…" He turned to the open room, then turned back and gestured at the Saiyans. "Don't—don't look directly at them. Just go. Don't disappoint me, gentlemen."</p><p>"Yes, Lord Frieza," the Saiyans (even Kakarot after a prompting <em>kick</em> from Raditz) muttered with their parting bows.</p><p>Vegeta could still <em>feel</em> the eyes of the King on his back as they left, aggravated that it made him feel unnerved of all things.</p><p>"I don't like that guy!" Kakarot loudly complained in the hall, despite being warned repeatedly about not speaking around scouters (especially not to insult Frieza). "He's keeping them <em>prisoner</em>."</p><p>"Ohh, good for <em>you</em> Kakarot," Vegeta finally broke his silence with a sneer. "You've figured it out, Frieza keeps a <em>lot</em> of beings prisoner."</p><p>Kakarot might have said something in reply, something overly inquisitive like <em>"including you?"</em> Vegeta ignored it and turned to face the large picture of the family. A moment of happiness frozen in time, as nauseating as that was to think, the family were all smiles. His gaze lingered on the baby held in the Queen's arms; she had her mother's blue eyes, but a mop of bright blue hair set her apart from the rest of her kin. If she really hadn't been found yet looking like <em>that</em>, surely she was dead? Why did Frieza insist on pushing it? There couldn't have been many humans on Earth that had such coloring, he had not seen such coloring for all his travels across the galaxy at that!</p><p>"Raditz," he addressed the older (marginally) less stupid brother. "You're certain this 'Celeste' isn't the Princess?"</p><p>"I've only been telling you that the whole way," Raditz groaned, shaking his head. "I've also told you that you <em>can't</em> go in to see her without getting past Baba's warriors, and for <em>some</em> reason you and the rest of Frieza's men can't hurt or kill Earthlings."</p><p>"Right, the witch cast a spell or something," Nappa chimed in, breaking Vegeta's view of the portrait by standing in front of him. "That's why <em>you</em> two are going to fight."</p><p>"Aw, come on!" Kakarot complained. "I already did that! I told you! It's how I got Nimbus!"</p><p>"Your ridiculous flying cloud?" Vegeta asked, rolling his eyes. "Wonderful, you have a tool to keep you lazy and not learn how to fly on your own."</p><p>"I know how to fly! I just like using Nimbus!"</p><p>"Granny Baba knows us, and yes we have fought her warriors before," Raditz explained when they went on their way to the village. They would stand back and observe for the moment, though people parading around in Frieza Force armor was not all that conducive to a covert operation. Kakarot complained and fussed some more until he ducked into a bush to change out of his armor back into his regular clothes, Raditz after a moment of hesitance followed suit.</p><p>"Old Lady Baba would wonder why you weren't wearing pants, it's a good idea," Vegeta heard Kakarot say to him from their hiding spot as he observed the layout of the village. While Raditz protested that <em>that was the only uniform in his size</em> the Prince mentally mapped out what he could.</p><p>"How quaint," Nappa said from his side in a sarcastic tone.</p><p>"I might puke," he agreed, noting the shops and people. Nothing and nobody stood out even as the brothers rejoined them, until Kakarot spoke up.</p><p>"Hey, there's Spike! He's goin' grocery shoppin'!" He opened his mouth wide to hail whoever it was until Raditz smothered him, scolding him for almost giving away their position.</p><p>Whatever the man Kakarot pointed out was, it certainly <em>wasn't</em> a human-type Earthling and "Spike" <em>stood out</em>, towered over the rest of the Earthlings in fact as he walked.</p><p>"That's Spike the Devil Man," Raditz supplied while they watched the man saunter along the street. "He's one of Granny Baba's warriors, a literal demon from Hell."</p><p>He looked the part, though it looked like he was wearing a dark blue bodysuit with fake horns, wings. and a tail, if it weren't for his greyish blue skin and pointed ears Vegeta would think it was all a costume. He wasn't seeming to <em>act</em>the part, however, as he carried an armful of bags and looked away from them, amicably talking to someone blocked from their view by his form.</p><p>Kakarot sniffed at the air, then smiled. "Celeste is with 'im! Baba musta let her out today!"</p><p>It was <em>very</em> suspicious how the witch kept the girl locked up, like there was something to hide about her identity. The story given was that Baba and her idiot brother were protective of their niece in the wake of a rash of abductions of young girls by an annoying shapeshifter. Kakarot told this story, saying it happened three years ago, and really the shapeshifter—a pig named Oolong—wasn't so bad once you got to know him.</p><p>"Yeah, I beat 'im up," he had finished with a grin. "Old Lady Baba said that she wasn't gonna let any pig take away her Celeste after that, I think it's just 'cause without her there wouldn't be those machines she likes to make. Celeste makes a lot of cool stuff, you know? She's got these neat capsules that—"</p><p>Vegeta silenced him with a glare, not wanting to hear anymore gushing from the little brat (<em>too</em> little, why hadn't he grown yet? Late bloomer, he supposed, forgetting or ignoring that Raditz said something similar earlier.)</p><p>"Any pig?" Nappa said, missing the part where Vegeta wanted that topic to end. "How many pigs are there 'round here?"</p><p>"Uh…she says men are pigs," Raditz coughed awkwardly. "T-to be fair to her, the second men see Celeste they get…weird."</p><p>"Thought you said she wasn't much to look at?" Vegeta turned a suspicious eye to him.</p><p>"Of course, not to <em>me</em>," he grumbled. "She's a <em>human</em>, and a bad-tempered bitch."</p><p>Kakarot whispered something to Raditz about "telling Mom", receiving a smack in return as Vegeta considered what their strategy would be next. He kept his eyes on the demon, noticing that he had stopped in front of a store bearing the title "IMPORTS" in bold letters. A girl poked her head out from the side of the demon, looking up at him and pointing to the window. Vegeta squinted, trying to get a better look at the girl—fortunately she walked around to Spike's front and tugged on his arm with hands swallowed up by thick gloves.</p><p>"Okay, that's Celeste," Raditz sighed from behind him. "Are you satisfied? Can we go yet?"</p><p>His sight stayed on the girl, taking in her appearance carefully and comparing it to his memory of the baby in the portrait. Raditz was right, she <em>didn't</em> look or act like a princess—but that would only be expected if she was not raised as a royal, wouldn't it? Beneath the oil and scrapes, he saw pale skin and a slim figure (considering how little Earthlings ate in comparison to Saiyans <em>that</em> was no surprise) exposed by shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Overall, very odd attire and an equally odd demeanor, she didn't look dressed for anything but rooting around in a dark workshop fixing machines, clunking around with heavy boots and the belt of tools around her waist. She bounced in place, whatever she was chattering about seemed to have her excited, her ponytail bobbed about, goggles resting atop her head sliding down across her large eyes.</p><p>Both were blue.</p><p>Blue hair, blue eyes.</p><p>Gorgeous, he had to admit. Of course, he wouldn't admit that <em>aloud</em> nor in the lewd way Nappa eyed her curves and commented that if she wasn't so young—<em>ugh.</em></p><p>"If she wasn't so young, what?" Kakarot broke the trance brought on by the sight of the girl.</p><p>"Nothin'," Nappa shrugged, looking down at Vegeta (only because of their height difference). "What now?"</p><p>"What purpose would she have for the imports?" Vegeta asked Raditz as he observed the pair going in at last (Spike had to stoop to get through the doorway).</p><p>"Ah, Yamcha and Tien get materials for her to tool around with," he explained. "Granny Baba exploits—I mean uses her fixation on engineering to run a mini technology empire. Like Kakarot said, she's got all kinds of inventions."</p><p>Great. Then she might be <em>useful,</em> and he couldn't justify killing her if she turned out to be the Princess. Frieza didn't have to know she was useful. "And what's stopping us from confronting them right now? You mentioned this 'Devil Man' had some terrifying secret weapon."</p><p>"His Devilmite Beam," Raditz said with a visible shudder. "It's an attack that turns all of your negative thoughts against you, you die instantly."</p><p>That <em>did</em> sound imposing, so a direct confrontation wouldn't work after all. Vegeta decided they would have to wait until the girl had gone back to the witch's house, then—ugh—do it all the long and hard way of facing the witch's warriors. He would figure out a more direct approach once they got there.</p><p>"Say, if it does all that," Nappa began as they watched the demon and girl make their merry way home. "How come Kakarot managed to win against Baba's warriors?"</p><p>"I dunno," Kakarot said with an annoying lilt on the last syllable. "He used it, but it didn't work on me!"</p><p>"Kakarot is an idiot with <em>barely</em> any thoughts in his head whatsoever," his brother answered sardonically. "Let alone negative ones, if you haven't noticed already he doesn't have anything <em>but</em> nice things to say about everything."</p><p>"That's not true," Kakarot protested, scowling. "I don't like Frieza at all, he's definitely not a good guy."</p><p>"Whatever, take us to the witch's house now," Vegeta waved off their insipid conversation, waiting for Raditz to lead the way.</p><p>Towards the edge of town there was another shop (<em>how many shops does this garbage dump HAVE?</em>) fitting snugly between the trees leading into the woods. Of course, the village happened to be situated in the wilderness of Paozu, it touched a border between civilized and entirely isolated. The sign read "BABA'S REPAIRS AND CAPSULES" in the same block letters as the imports store, Vegeta cast a critical eye over it, then noted that the shop…keeper? What was <em>probably</em> the shopkeeper sweeping off the porch.</p><p>Only, the shopkeeper did not have legs.</p><p>The shopkeeper was a free-floating spirit.</p><p>He raised an eyebrow at the brothers, who merely shrugged and muttered something about Baba having a bizarre connection to the world of spirits. Wonderful, <em>ghosts</em>, like this stay on Earth wasn't surreal enough. "You!" he raised his voice to be heard (and to drown out his own thoughts).</p><p>The ghost looked up, an eerie smile on its face and eyes blankly staring.</p><p>"Take us to the witch."</p><p>"<em>Ohhhh</em>~ Strangers~" the ghost sang. "Lady Baba <em>hates</em> strangers~"</p><p>"Sorry, Pinky," Kakarot said, "They wanna see Celeste."</p><p>The ghost's expression did not change but somehow it came across as giving a friendly glance to the Earth-raised Saiyans. "Goku~ Raditz~"</p><p><em>Goku?</em> Who the hell was Goku?</p><p>"Gramps gave Kakarot an Earth name, since he was a baby when we arrived," Raditz answered the question in Vegeta's squint.</p><p>Nauseating, <em>again</em>. He couldn't wait to get off this fucking planet.</p><p>Inside the shop was unnaturally neat and organized, lined with peculiar capsules behind glass cases. Vegeta's eyes were drawn to them as they walked through, noticing the surroundings began to darken the further they went in. Was it some endless hall? Towards the back, a door loomed into view, a light behind it pouring out from the cracks.</p><p>It was all very theatrical, he supposed the witch had a thing about presentation.</p><p>A thing about presentation and <em>defying space and physics</em> as the group found themselves outside again facing a large compound consisting of yellow domed houses connected to a large one in the middle. A clearing? Weren't there supposed to be trees? Weren't they in the forest?</p><p>"And what in good <em>Kami's</em> name are you ingrates doing here again? With <em>strangers</em>?" a shrill voice brought the Saiyans' attention to the front and center of the compound where the most hideous wrinkled creature Vegeta had seen (lately) waited. Her little form was all dressed in black with a conical hat almost entirely covering her stringy pink hair.</p><p>"Hi, Baba!" Kakarot greeted, waving at first and then rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "These guys wanna see Celeste."</p><p>"I know," she replied shortly.</p><p>"Then why'd you even <em>ask</em>?"</p><p>"I needed to hear it from your mouth to confirm that my life really has spiraled out of control this much," the witch grumbled, turning to indicate the door. "Come on then, this way to my warriors.—And yes you <em>do</em> have to do it again, <em>Goku</em>," she directed a glare to Kakarot over her shoulder as she disappeared into the darkness of the house.</p><p>The others followed the witch, only Vegeta lingered when his attention was caught by something in one of the auxiliary buildings—movement and a flash of blue had his feet moving in that direction before he realized what he was doing.</p><p>When he reached the doorway of the structure, he realized he had made a <em>critical</em> error.</p><p>Not because the girl had caught sight of him and was staring in some undefinable way, but because Raditz's reminder came back to him. <em>Frieza's men can't hurt or kill Earthlings.</em></p><p>Yet, Frieza not only entertained Vegeta's suggestion of simply killing the Princess were she to be found but <em>encouraged</em> it from him.</p><p>He <em>knew</em> Vegeta wasn't as loyal as he should have been and no matter what was done, he was right <em>screwed</em>. Kill her, Frieza would know he was disloyal. Bring her back, deal with the headache of a fussy <em>captive</em>. Ugh. <em>Prove</em> that he was loyal to Frieza after all.</p><p>Before Vegeta could think to rework his plans, a gun was pointed right in his face.</p><p>"Who are you?!" the girl demanded, eyes burning holes right through him as she glared. "You've got some nerve coming into <em>my</em> house, buddy!"</p><p>Taken aback as he was both by the horrific realization at the trap he had practically run into and that the so-called target was taking on the position of attacker when that was supposed to be <em>his</em> duty, he didn't answer for a long moment. In the time he scrambled to find an answer, Celeste—as she was called—looked over him head to toe. Her lingering gaze left him vaguely uncomfortable, she seemed to focus on his armor and his scouter.</p><p>This was strange, this was new, he didn't like it. Vegeta didn't usually get so close to the opposite sex unless it was to kill them, and even <em>then</em> that was a distance maintained by ki blasts, nobody had ever <em>threatened to shoot him</em> once they realized who and what he was. If it weren't for his own instincts and pride making him stand his ground, he probably would have stepped back as she stepped closer.</p><p>Celeste did not look or act like a princess, at least not what the idea of royalty supposedly acted like on other planets. That was stated enough to really irritate Vegeta, because it only made sense that she didn't. Why would she? She wasn't raised royal and didn't know her identity. She was taken away from her family even earlier than <em>he</em> was. Still, the attitude of confidence and outrage was surprising (while her being <em>a lot prettier up close</em> was mortifying for his dignity.) She didn't speak or make more demands, however, she reached out to his scouter and promptly pried it off his ear, quickly turning her back to him before he could react.</p><p>"Hey!" he growled, trying not to allow an indignant squeak to come out along with the call. "Don't touch things that don't belong to you!"</p><p>"Don't come into houses that don't belong to you," she retorted, already messing with the inner workings from—<em>where the hell did she pull that toolkit from?!<br/>
</em></p><p>He watched her work with nimble hands, disassembling the scouter to several pieces in a matter of seconds. She didn't seem interested in just destroying the device, however, she was studying the parts with avid eyes.</p><p>Right. A mechanic freak, like Raditz said. That speed was unreal, though! Faster than some of Frieza's best technicians, she really <em>was</em> useful.</p><p>"Great Kami alive, this is <em>amazing</em>," she breathed looking up at him again, her eyes <em>sparkling</em> (<em>what the hell?!</em>) "You're a Saiyan, aren't you? I didn't realize you had tech like <em>this</em>."</p><p>Was she not <em>aware</em> of Frieza's occupation on Earth? She acted like she had never seen a scouter before, <em>or</em> his armor judging by the way Celeste stood then and tugged on his collar.</p><p>"Hey!" Vegeta found himself snapping for the second time that day. "Don't touch me!"</p><p>"It <em>stretches</em>?!" Celeste squealed, <em>hurting Vegeta's ears</em> and completely ignoring what he said. "Does it come off?! I need to see!"</p><p>"You can't take off my armor!" <em>Then</em> Vegeta couldn't keep the squeaky wheeze out of his tone as he struggled to get away from the girl—though it <em>disgusted him</em> to retreat from something like <em>that</em>. Nappa would probably laugh his mustache off if he saw Vegeta trying to run away from a woman, especially a not entirely hideous woman that was trying to strip him.</p><p>—Only the armor! Just the armor!</p><p>"You know," she said, decisively <em>tugging him</em> into her space, staring him right in the eyes. "You're lucky, no guy has gotten <em>this</em> close to me before. You might as well let me study your armor if you're going to intrude like you have."</p><p><em>What's that supposed to mean!?</em> Vegeta groaned, pushing her hands away and stepping back. "<em>Fine</em>, but I'm not doing this in the middle of your—" He looked around to try and get an idea of where he was. "Food preparation room."</p><p>"We call that a kitchen on Earth," Celeste teased, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "And okay, tough guy, I've got a place we can go. Just follow me~!"</p><p><em>Ugh.</em> Suddenly he would rather Frieza just kill him outright for not being loyal instead of putting him through this <em>torment</em>.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p>The ill-fated family, the family who defied fate, and the disgraced prince, all affected by the beast known as Frieza. There was still one more piece in the woven tale of this universe: the lost princess.</p><p>Bulma—for though everyone called her Celeste, she felt more attached to her birth name—did not know her role in the story, nor did she know why an unfamiliar Saiyan had come into <em>her</em> section of Aunt Baba's house. But if she was honest with herself, she did not care; the man was strange and his aura equally so, but he was <em>different.</em> Nobody came over to visit her and she was rarely allowed out of the compound on her <em>own</em>. Forget about leaving the village entirely. It left her frustrated and lonely, desperate enough for company that the odd man was pulled right into her basement lab, so they could speak without interruption or inhibition.</p><p>The man—well, <em>man</em> was being generous, he didn't appear to be any more than a year older than her and they were of equal height—seemed very much uncomfortable. Nonetheless, he did as she asked, pulling off his armor and setting it down on the workbench behind him. He must have figured she wasn't a threat, and of course he shouldn't, his battle power was <em>huge</em> from what she could tell.</p><p>Bulma took a moment to look over him again—she really had never seen someone like this Saiyan. Of course she knew Goku, Raditz, and their parents, she even knew well-built good-looking martial artist types in the form of Tien and Yamcha. But <em>he</em> was different; the dark aura, the hard look in his features, the general demeanor spoke <em>danger</em> of the highest caliber and yet there she went disassembling his scouter and studying his armor. Little observations went through her mind as she worked like that for a Saiyan, he was short, barely taller than Aunt Gine. His hair was distinct, neater even in comparison to Goku and Uncle Bardock's, a striking appearance overall.</p><p>She really was insane and desperate for something different, wasn't she? Eyeing a stranger like that.</p><p>The strangest thing was <em>he</em> seemed to be studying <em>her</em> right back.</p><p>Yes, of course Bulma was aware that she was attractive, though Auntie tried to discourage vanity and selfishness she happened to do it in the worst way possible by berating her. Luckily, Spike—a real sweetheart for a demon—took building her confidence into his own hands while the Invisible Man reminded her to stay grounded since it didn't last forever. Bandages encouraged her bolder side, declaring that at every possible moment she need to assert herself as a <em>queen</em>. She supposed if she had to put a label to them, <em>they</em> were her dads.</p><p>Uncle Roshi and Grandpa Gohan gave her lessons in their techniques, or at least as much as she would allow; getting caught up with those two—though she loved them—tended to lead to uncomfortable moments of discovering their magazines or Roshi causing trouble with some hapless village girl. Ugh, she loved them dearly, but Kami did she hate perverts, and Auntie warned her that men were <em>all</em> like that, although…</p><p>The stranger wasn't looking at her lasciviously or with interest, there was <em>suspicion</em> in his expression.</p><p>"I think I can recreate these," she broke the silence, having been drawing up the blueprints while she was waiting for him to <em>say something</em>.</p><p>He raised an eyebrow at her meticulously detailed drawings and diagrams as she worked but otherwise said nothing.</p><p>"Sooooo…" Bulma tried again to make conversation. "What brings you here? You're not facing Auntie's warriors, so it wasn't for me, then…"</p><p>Ha, yeah right, like this was her Prince Charming come to rescue her from isolation and take her on the adventure she always craved. Bulma gave up on <em>that</em> girly fantasy years ago. It just didn't happen like that, furthermore <em>Earth</em> didn't have princes, why would <em>space</em>?</p><p>"Business," was his only answer, spoken in a deep, rough voice—holy geez, did <em>that</em> voice really come out of <em>that </em>guy? Saiyans were something else.</p><p>Seemed he wasn't going to say more than that, however, so it was up to Bulma to carry on the conversation. "With Raditz and Goku? I can sense them here, and you're a Saiyan too, then—"</p><p>"How?" the Saiyan interrupted, scrutinizing her like she was some puzzle.</p><p>"Rude to interrupt when other people are talking, buddy," Bulma clipped, glaring right back at the nosy jerk. "And how <em>what</em>? Gonna need a little more than one-word answers."</p><p>"How can you sense them without a scouter," he clarified with shocking composure. Usually people immediately became afraid or offended when she got a <em>little</em> aggressive—which was ridiculous of course, she meant no harm.</p><p>She just knew how to get things going and keep them moving, that was all.</p><p>"This thing is for tracking the energy of lifeforms? I figured it was just for communication—you know, whoever made this is tracking you. Creepy, right? I went ahead and—"</p><p>"Don't!" he interjected, a flash of panic coming across his face. "Stupid girl, if they notice I've fallen off the map they will <em>punish</em> me."</p><p>He said it in such a matter of fact way after the initial panic but Bulma latched onto it immediately. "Are you being kept prisoner?" she asked, concerned despite the appearance of acceptance from the stranger.</p><p>Despite that it was <em>really</em> not good to have an unknown man in her lab, her heart went out to him.</p><p>Auntie always <em>did</em> say she was too compassionate for her own good.</p><p>"I—" He looked like he wanted to protest, furious at what he perceived as pity but not wanting to say anything revealing in a fit of temper.</p><p>She leaned over to him in the absence of anything else and whispered conspiratorially: "I am, too." Bulma stood back, watching his expression work in confusion for a moment before giggling, "Just kidding!" She laughed it off completely, going to her computer to scan the items she had accumulated from this visitor. "My parents died a long time ago and my aunt raised me. She doesn't mean any harm, she just doesn't trust very easily…and she's kinda obsessed with money."</p><p>Bulma never understood her aunt's greed, honestly, it wasn't like the small village placed any emphasis on status through money.</p><p>"She's always talking about how…" She trailed off, realizing she was about to talk without thinking and the stranger was back to examining her with the same intense stare. Not all Saiyans are nice, Uncle Bardock had told her once, in fact the little family she knew and loved were <em>anomalies</em> according to him. But if Goku and Raditz brought him here… "Hey, what's your name?" Bulma ended up questioning him again.</p><p>"Vegeta," he replied after another quiet moment of staring.</p><p>Not much for words, was he?</p><p>"Vegeta…" she repeated it, frowning, something nagging at her memory. "Like the planet?"</p><p>"Only the strongest bear the name," he said mysteriously, now watching her with barely perceptible but entirely new interest. "And you, woman?"</p><p>"It's—" She bit the insides of her cheeks, wanting to immediately snap that her name was <em>Bulma</em>, not <em>woman.</em>"Celeste."</p><p>Celeste, because when Auntie adopted her she said it was too painful to be reminded of her parents by keeping her birthname. Celeste, because she was born under stars and had the whole universe in her eyes. Celeste, because her father was a brilliant scientist working on space travel before he died.</p><p>She had to commit to being Celeste.</p><p>"Celeste," Vegeta repeated it.</p><p><em>Yeah already,</em> she was Celeste, Bulma internally sighed.</p><p>She should have been more controlled over her demeanor, the Saiyan seemed to notice. "When your parents passed away, you were taken in by the witch and renamed, weren't you?"</p><p>Bulma watched him carefully, nobody had ever asked her about <em>her</em> as a person, then again nobody ever really talked to her outside of her family and snatches of conversations when she was out shopping. Did she really want to just spill her guts to someone she didn't know? She twisted a lock of hair around her fingers, chewing on her bottom lip. Was she <em>really</em> that lonely?</p><p>"I'm sure you've heard of what happened to our home planet," Vegeta said, shrugging as though it didn't bother him. "It's not like it's an abnormal situation to me."</p><p>"Are your parents gone, too?" Bulma asked, surprised that he was saying such a personal thing to her, a little…touched that he was possibly trying to put her at ease.</p><p>It only made sense, though, didn't it? His nod and distant expression said it all in the absence of an answer. It really <em>did</em> bother him, it was possible he didn't know how to process that it bothered him, or never got a chance to—especially not with whomever was keeping him prisoner.</p><p>"—Well!" she waved her hand, flipping off the computer. "Goku beat Spike, now Raditz is going up against Bandages, we've still got time to talk."</p><p>"I have several questions, in fact. First, I want to ask about your ability to sense ki."</p><p>"Okay, tell me about the scouters in return while I put yours back together."</p><p>"Deal."</p>
<hr/><p>The disgraced prince and the lost princess had more in common than either of them realized as they spoke to each other through the brothers' battles. A kinship had formed, though it wasn't what Vegeta had intended. She spoke about her inventions and experiences growing up with Goku and Raditz, it was strangely fascinating just <em>talking</em> to someone about normal things.</p><p>(But the evidence was piling up, she <em>was</em> the Princess, he would have to…)</p><p>"Kakarot mentioned that you beat up Raditz, how is that plausible?"</p><p>"Not <em>very</em>," she laughed, opening a drawer to take out seemingly ordinary metal cuffs. "These little beauties I invented increase my strength 300 times, every time Raditz gets too bitchy I just give him a smack."</p><p>"300 times…" he eyed the cuffs, hating the idea of wearing such things symbolic of captivity but all too tempted by the promise of increased power.</p><p>"Yeah, I already know about how Saiyans get stronger the more beaten up they are, humans don't work the same way—we have to build ourselves little by little and have more time for healing. So, enhancing what abilities I already have is the only real way I can keep up with you guys."</p><p>"Do you create devices to help Raditz and Kakarot train?"</p><p>His mind raced, going back and forth between trying to form a plan to not alert Frieza about his lack of loyalty and taking advantage of the <em>new</em> opportunity being presented right before him as he slipped his armor back on.</p><p>No…easy, it was easy, just tell Frieza Celeste <em>wasn't</em> the Princess. He would tell him to <em>keep</em> looking for her, then Vegeta could come back and visit the girl whenever he wanted, charm his way into her good graces. He had <em>some</em>charm, right? It couldn't have been that hard, the girl was <em>talking</em> to him and seemed to become more and more comfortable in his presence. And the old witch kept her on such a tight leash, she was desperate for attention and company from <em>anyone</em> besides her misbegotten family.</p><p>"Oh, pffft," she scoffed, rolling her eyes. "They like doing it <em>the natural way</em>," she added a mocking imitation of Raditz's voice to her emphasis, surprising a laugh out of Vegeta. "I would love to think up training modulators, but nobody around here trusts science enough!"</p><p>"Hm." Not that he could entirely blame them, it wasn't as though <em>he</em> liked being poked and prodded at like some sort of science experiment, but if it could enhance his training… "I'm a Saiyan. What if I volunteered?"</p><p>The way her eyes widened as she looked at him was entirely unfamiliar, usually people looked at him that way in fear but her—was she <em>happy?</em></p><p>"You'd really do that?! Oh Kami—I'll do whatever you want! What do you want first?!"</p><p>What the <em>hell</em>, she was <em>cute</em>.</p><p><em>Disgusting. </em>Good thing he hadn't put back on his scouter yet so no one else could <em>hear</em> this traitorous and sentimental conversation.</p><p>"Calm <em>down</em> woman," he huffed, crossing his arms to turn away from her far too eager expression. "What can you think of in the vein of high resistance training?"</p><p><em>Gravity modulation</em> turned out to be the answer as she pulled out a whole load of blueprints consisting of ideas she had already drawn up, alarming Vegeta with the sheer <em>volume</em> of plans she had in the works. Who <em>was</em> this woman? If not a princess, then certainly a person in possession of an unreal amount of intellect—yet so naïve.</p><p>So, so naïve. It was either Frieza that would use her or him, and Vegeta would be keeping <em>this</em> little secret to himself.</p><p>"Ah," Celeste looked up at the stairs. "They finished, they're gonna be calling me out now, so you'd better go."</p><p>Already? He wasn't all that excited about going back to base, to be perfectly honest Vegeta <em>wanted</em> to practice sensing ki as she had described it and listen to her talk some more about her inventions.</p><p>"Hey, before you go, can I tell you something?"</p><p>The voice of the girl startled him out of his thoughts. "What?"</p><p>There she went being too close to him again, leaning over to his ear to whisper: "Next time you come back, can you call me by my birthname?"</p><p>He turned his head, immediately wishing he hadn't since they were touching noses. "Who says I'm coming back?"</p><p>She giggled, rocking back on her heels, and presented her hand to him—only she had closed it into a fist with the pinky outstretched.</p><p>"What the hell are you doing?" Vegeta took a step back, thinking for a moment she was going to use a ki attack. When none came, he looked from her hand to her face. "What—?"</p><p>"It's a pinky promise! You wrap your pinky around mine and we shake—like a handshake, but a pinky promise between friends absolutely cannot be broken, you got that?"</p><p>"Earthlings have such ridiculous customs," he sighed, looking down at his own hand, considering if he would <em>really</em> do a foolish thing like that just to gain her trust. "You haven't even told me your birthname."</p><p>"Bulma," the name came with a pleasant smile curved over her lips and that starry twinkle in her eyes. "Promise?"</p><p><em>Bulma</em>. Princess Bulma. This gorgeous, foolish, compassionate, baffling, brilliant, <em>stupid</em> woman truly <em>was</em> the Princess.</p><p>Vegeta smirked, reaching out and shaking her damn hand with the silly pinky promise. "Fine then, <em>Bulma</em>, when I come to visit again that's what I will call you."</p><p>Her smile widened, it seemed he was free to go.</p><p>Until she said, "Can you do me another favor?"</p><p>Did he <em>really</em> want to?</p><p>Well, if it would be helpful to gaining her trust, he might as well entertain her nonsense. "I suppose…what is it?"</p><p>"Can I kiss you?"</p><p>
  <em>Kiss? Kiss?! What the hell is a <strong>kiss</strong>?</em>
</p><p>She seemed to notice his confusion as she explained, "It's just that…Auntie never lets me talk to people, let alone boys. Raditz and Goku don't count since they're family. I've never been <em>this</em> close to one for a long time before, so…"</p><p>It was only the power of his ability to keep a straight face in all situations that allowed Vegeta to betray no hint that he had <em>no idea</em> what that even was. He tried to search his memory for anything Nappa had talked about with girls—kissing? He talked about <em>sex</em> of course much to Vegeta's chagrin, as much as he <em>hated</em> hearing the old man talking about his conquests. But what was kissing?</p><p>Unfortunately, Bulma apparently had <em>incredible </em>powers of perception as she tilted her head at him, a question in her eyes. "Have you never kissed anyone either?"</p><p><em>Goddammit! </em>He winced—shit, shouldn't have done that. "Do what you must."</p><p>He wasn't about to tell her <em>he</em> had never kissed anyone either! It was easier to just <em>let</em> her do the ridiculous k—</p><p>She <em>moved too close</em> and pressed her lips chastely against his.</p><p><strong><em>That's</em></strong><em> a kiss?! </em>It was…weird, warm, such contact was unheard of for him. It was…</p><p>Bulma had stepped back, grinning, then turned away from him in a swirl of blue. He scowled, stomping up after her and back out to the front yard, Bulma was nowhere to be seen but after a moment the others came out. The witch seemed to be in a terrible mood, which must have meant her warriors were totally trounced.</p><p>"<em>Celeeeeste</em>!" she screeched, prompting everyone their to clap their hands over their ears. "Get out here, you lazy girl! We have guests!"</p><p>"Have you been waiting out here the whole time?" Nappa looked bewildered as he joined Vegeta at his side. "She's got an invisible fighter in there, but it turns out—"</p><p>"Raditz and Kakarot can sense energy without scouters," he cut in tonelessly, watching Bulma come out of her section of the compound affecting a surprised look.</p><p>"Hi Celeste!" Kakarot chirped, jumping up and waving.</p><p>Kakarot didn't know the truth, he could tell that much just by the open expression of genuine happiness on his face as he ran up to his friend. Bulma kneeled to be at level with Kakarot and held out her arms for—something? The smaller Saiyan <em>jumped into her arms</em> of all things and embraced her with a laugh while she smiled gently, affectionately. The sight made something in Vegeta's stomach twist in annoyance. What was that? He must have been getting hungry.</p><p>Raditz looked less enthused about seeing Bulma, eyeing her for a second (probably to make sure she didn't have any augments on her person) before waving at Nappa and Vegeta. "These guys wanted to see you, Celeste." He looked at Vegeta with flat expression, indicating her confident stance and work-worn appearance. "You see? I told you."</p><p>Vegeta grunted, eyes casting to Bulma (who smirked when they made eye contact), then back to Raditz. He knew that beneath the appearance of an ordinary mechanic, there was much more to her; Raditz had allowed the fact that she worked hard and held her own against him to obscure everything else. Beneath the strong will that challenged anyone who questioned her, the clever mind that outwitted the strength of a Saiyan, she was soft. Very soft. Soft skin, soft hair…soft…lips—</p><p>Ahem. "Fine then. You soft-headed ones can go back home to your <em>mother</em> now. Nappa, we're leaving."</p><p>He tried to force himself to stop thinking of soft as a word and a concept entirely.</p><p>"All that fuss and we didn't even find the girl," Nappa groused when they had taken to the air. He paused, looking over at Vegeta shrewdly. "Vegeta, you made contact with the witch's niece yourself, I can smell her on you."</p><p>His face betrayed no emotion, or he liked to think it didn't, his mind continued racing with all of what happened. Vegeta was unfamiliar with the feelings that had been invoked from the time he had spent with Bulma, even outside of confirming for himself that she was the target. She had gone under the mistaken impression that he was her friend, made him <em>promise</em> to come visit her again, and she had initiated contact he didn't <em>entirely </em>hate. All in all, it wasn't any of what he had expected to come out of this banishing to Earth Frieza had <em>forced</em> upon him.</p><p>Nappa shook his head, the silence answering everything for what was on Vegeta's mind. He could come to his own conclusions if he wanted, Vegeta didn't care what the old man thought, what was more important was getting back and reporting his findings (or lack thereof).</p><p>By the time they returned to base…Frieza had <em>left</em>. He had left shortly after the Saiyans went on their mission. The condescending lizard's parting words made mention that the King and Queen would likely enjoy their company <em>ever so much</em> if they decided not to stay on the base.</p><p><em>"And is it not fitting for a prince to dwell in a castle? Do make yourself comfy, Vegeta, however long it takes to adjust your </em>attitude<em>," </em>he chuckled from his message on the video screen. <em>"By the by…don't worry about finding Princess Bulma, the Ginyu Force found her while you were gone."</em> The image on screen pulled out a lock of hair that he began to caress gently. It looked like Bulma's hair, <em>too</em> much like her hair, but he had just <em>seen</em> her, how could that be? His fury at being made a fool of mingled with the confusion at <em>who</em> he spoke to and <em>whose</em> hair Frieza had, combined with an undercurrent of a sick anxiety that was wholly unfamiliar to Vegeta.</p><p>The furious storm of his confused emotions crashed through the halls of the castle when he returned, already stomping down to where he <em>knew</em> the King would be. The old laboratories that Briefs apparently ensconced himself in after the disappearance of his daughter were on the lower levels of the castle, where dungeons would usually be. Though Vegeta found when he arrived that King Briefs wasn't the only one in the lab, another old man and an older woman accompanied him in the work of whatever it was he was doing. Both wore lab coats similar to Briefs, the man was fully grey and had a mustache much like the King did though he was bald on top and had piercing blue eyes. The woman wore thick glasses much like Briefs, obscuring her equally blue eyes. Her dark red hair looked unkempt as several strands escaped from her ponytail to haphazardly hang around her shoulders.</p><p>"Old man!" Vegeta barked, startling the other two scientists.</p><p>The King remained stoic, looking at Vegeta as though he was little more than a mild inconvenience.</p><p>"Some nerve you have addressing the King like that!" the woman snapped, raising her fist. "Lapis! Lazuli! Beryl!"</p><p>Whoever or <em>whatever</em> she was calling for was interrupted by Briefs holding up his hand. "Azure," the first word the King spoke almost surprised Vegeta with how quiet and calm the tone was. "It's fine. Let the young man speak."</p><p>He still watched everything with that annoyingly impassive stare. Vegeta didn't like it, not one little bit.</p><p>The woman, Azure, balked and stammered, "Y-yes, Majesty. My apologies."</p><p>"It's all right, dear," the other man soothed her with a hand on her shoulder.</p><p>When Azure returned the gesture, raising her hand to touch his, Vegeta saw the glint of matching gold rings on their fingers. Must have been some Earth symbol of marriage. Not that he cared about alien customs.</p><p>While they were speaking, three more people had come into the lab behind Vegeta already beginning to crowd around him much to his annoyance. Two brats that looked barely older than 16 or 17 stood at his sides while a larger man came around to the front of him. The younger two looked to be twins, with similar haircuts and sharp eyes, only differentiated by the blonde's more feminine features and her counterpart having black hair. The largest one stared down at him with icy blue eyes, dark red hair stuck out wildly from his head in a mohawk. The three each wore not armor as he would expect for apparent guards, but tailored suits, the redhead had some medals pinned to his jacket signifying rank.</p><p>It didn't take a genius to figure out that the high-ranked one was related to the assistants; his features were similar to the pair even if his height was not. The twin brats seemed related to nobody but each other.</p><p>"You called, Auntie?" the black-haired one said with a smug cadence Vegeta immediately disliked.</p><p>"What's a Frieza Force dimwit doing here?" the blonde chuffed with an indifference that Vegeta equally disliked.</p><p>"It's—it's nothing Lapis, Lazuli," Azure addressed them both with a glance, finally landing her gaze on the tall man. "Beryl…"</p><p>"Mother," Beryl—as he was called—responded in a flat tone that unnerved Vegeta more so than Briefs' silent watching. "Why is there a member of the Frieza Force here?"</p><p>"It was <em>Frieza's</em> suggestion that I be here," Vegeta cut in, throroughly annoyed with all the chatter going on around him. "Some condescending nonsense about it being <em>appropriate</em>."</p><p>"I see," Briefs spoke again in a quiet, understanding voice. "You don't seem happy about being suggested this, my boy. Have you not been assisted with getting comfortable?"</p><p>"I don't need to get <em>comfortable</em>," he snarled, not wanting to admit to himself that the <em>kindness</em> shown by the man unnerved him. "Who—? The Ginyus—they brought back someone they claimed to be your daughter, and—"</p><p>Beryl made a noise, a look of discomfort flashing into his eyes for a moment. His mother came to his side, resting a hand on his arm.</p><p>"Hey, be careful," the boy—apparently Lapis—said with a laugh. "You could be under surveillance."</p><p>"There is no surveillance here and you know it, Lapis," Beryl's father snorted. "And he doesn't have his scouter, so—"</p><p>"I don't <em>need it</em>," Vegeta growled, despite that not being what the old man was getting at remotely. "Tell me, what happened? Nobody that works for Frieza can kill an Earthling, but Frieza said <em>she</em> was killed."</p><p>"It was not my daughter," Briefs replied simply, shocking gasps throughout the room. "Gero, Azure, Beryl, Lapis, Lazuli—we have nothing to fear, this young man will not report back to Frieza about what happened."</p><p>"But—how do you <em>know</em>?" Lazuli said, her composure cracking just a little. "You're risking a lot on nothing!"</p><p>Indeed, Vegeta would have concurred if the King wasn't <em>right</em>, though he was much more interested in what was happening.</p><p>"Every soldier I have met that is unquestionably loyal to Frieza refers to him as Lord Frieza, this man does not."</p><p>The others visibly relaxed, though they still watched Vegeta with suspicion. Impressive, he had to admit, it was such a subtle thing that Vegeta only called Frieza "lord" to his face and no other time than that. For Briefs to have caught onto it in this short interaction showed that the man was formidable for a frail, miserable looking thing that he was.</p><p>"It was…" Beryl's monotone voice had softened, some emotion coming through, something Vegeta understood to be regret weighed down the man's brow. "The girl those men brought back…looked very similar to how the Princess would look, but she was just slightly off, her eyes were the wrong color—too light. Still, this…Captain Ginyu presented her as unquestionably Princess Bulma. Brought her blindfolded before me. As they could not kill any Earthling, it was my duty to commit the final act."</p><p>Gero had come up to Beryl's other side then, resting a hand on his arm similar to how Azure had done. "My son is a gentle soul, he hates violence, but…he is still the strongest soldier we have."</p><p>Doubtful, as if a human could measure up to a Saiyan. Kakarot and Raditz would probably be able to catch up immediately. He knew what the story was going to end up as, and he really wasn't in the mood to hear sad stories and watch the nauseating sympathy going on. All he wanted was confirmation that what he suspected to be true, Bulma wasn't <em>really</em> found by the Ginyu Force and killed but somehow a similar person had been found. He had wondered how it was that nobody similar looking to her had been seen.</p><p>"I asked for her forgiveness, I made her death quick enough that she would not feel pain, and that's all there was to it."</p><p>"I see." Vegeta shrugged, eyes casting around to be sure there were no cameras or surveillance that would go back to Frieza. "I suppose Frieza had a nice gloat about how you were trying to use the witch's niece as a distraction afterwards."</p><p>The King closed his eyes, looking away in shame. "I am not proud of the fact that one of my subjects was wrongfully executed."</p><p>"But your daughter lives and Frieza is gone," he finished. "Then it's for the better, to be a monarch means to make tough decisions sometimes."</p><p>He wasn't sure what he was saying that for, was it reassurance? Vegeta wasn't exactly a reassuring type of person. Perhaps it was the idea of relating to another royal that prompted him.</p><p>Briefs smiled, a motion that Vegeta <em>didn't</em> like remotely. "How is she? My Bulma. You've seen her, haven't you?"</p><p>Ugh. Fine, he could reassure the old man once more, be a gracious guest for once in his life. "She's…happy. Well, I think so, the witch keeps her in that miserable village, but she's…friendly," he felt his lip curl up at the words <em>friendly</em>and <em>happy.</em> "She's created several inventions, she took my scouter and armor on our first meeting and made blueprints out of them in hardly any time."</p><p>"That's my girl," Briefs said under his breath, eyes cast to the floor so nobody would see him tearing up. "Thank you, young man."</p><p>"Vegeta," he bit back, <em>really</em> hating the <em>gratitude</em> the King was showing. "It hardly matters, when this exile is over with and Frieza's decided I've been punished enough, I'm leaving this planet."</p><p>The Earthlings had no reply to that, the King only smiled and told him to stay as long as he liked. Such generosity reminded him uncomfortably of Bulma, whom he fully intended to see later on when he had some time to himself.</p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>The lost princess, though she did not know she was lost or a princess, enjoyed the respite she got when her aunt went off to visit with clients across the region. Her warriors never minded when Bulma wanted to go out into the village on her own, sometimes she could even do some exploring in the forest if Baba would be away for a very long time. From there she had made her own little getaway hut in the forest where her more secret experiments took shape.</p><p>Bulma had just left the imports store, dodging Yamcha's playful flirtations (much to the chagrin of the more serious Tien), when a familiar ki signal struck at her senses. The dark aura and vague feeling of static around her told Bulma that it was a certain visitor that came to her just two weeks ago, though it was <em>completely insane</em> she felt a smile curve over her lips. He had <em>come back</em>, this unusual but interesting man had come back like she asked him to!</p><p>She would not go running to him, didn't want to look too eager after all, she instead pinpointed where his ki was precisely and casually made her way to the outskirts of the village into the forest. Her smile widened into a grin when she found Vegeta sat nonchalantly on a rock, doing a marvelous impression of someone uninterested in his surroundings. "You came back," she said, closing the distance between them quicker than intended. <em>Way to not look eager, Bulma</em>, she scolded herself.</p><p>"Wasn't that what that ridiculous handshake implied?" he gruffly said, immediately standing so she didn't have a height advantage over him. "A <em>promise between friends</em>?"</p><p>He looked utterly disgusted to be saying such a thing, typical man scared of feelings. Bulma sighed, shaking her head and flicking his nose. "Whatever—Auntie isn't here, so we can hang out for longer this time!" Not giving him a moment to respond, Bulma grabbed him by the wrist to tug him out to where her capsule house was left. "I wanna hear more about you this time!"</p><p>"No, you don't," Vegeta clipped, not offering any resistance to being pulled despite his annoyance. "You don't want to hear anything about me. Although, I've been placed on leave, so I can stay and listen to your prattling for a while if you insist on it."</p><p>"Oh, shut up," she snapped, pushing him into the capsule house and clicking on the lights. "I just <em>said</em> I want to hear more about you, all we did last time was talk about my projects and stuff."</p><p>"No."</p><p>"Come on—"</p><p>"No." Vegeta made himself comfortable on the couch, staring at her expectantly. After a moment, Bulma joined him there and he asked, "Tell me, what do you know about the royals here?"</p><p>"Huh?" Bulma tilted her head at him, wondering what on Earth that had to do with anything. "Not much, only that there's a king and a queen and a princess that live over in the West. What's that got to do with anything, Vegeta?"</p><p>"Trust me, it's got a <em>lot</em> to do with everything."</p><p>"Okay, tough guy, gonna tell me what that is?"</p><p>She <em>really</em> disliked mind games—who was he to try and play that sort of thing with someone like <em>her</em>?</p><p>He only smirked at her, leaning in like he was about to let her in on some secret. "Do you trust me?"</p><p>Bulma scowled. "Not on the 'trust you with my life' level, because that's just stupid. But I trust that you're not lying to me right now.'</p><p>"Then let me tell you <em>what</em> exactly is going on."</p><p>The disgraced prince would pull the lost princess into her part of the story, even if he had to drag her into it kicking and screaming.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Scrap 3: idk a mermaid thing</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mermaids?? Mermaids?????</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Lads, I couldn't even tell you, again you'll probably notice "hey this looks familiar Mozart"</p><p>it probably is! I probably re-used it just in this compilation! (Though tbf Disney-based storylines can be kinda repetitive)</p><p>This was some attempt at being ~different~ with a Little Mermaid/MerMay entry with taking different types of mermaid lore (selkies, sirens, etc) and mashing them together. I scrapped it because it was too involved and, again, meandering. I will not revisit this or the other scrapped stories but here they are for reference anyway. </p><p>(You'll notice I say "this sucks and I hate it" about my works a lot)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p> </p><p>In the times when the moon was young and the planet was new, life was nurtured in the cradle of the sea, gently rocked by the waves moved by the moon's sway. As the fledgling life grew, the morbidly curious types ventured onto land.</p><p>Some immediately realized their mistake and returned to the depths, some were content with staying and made do from there, others still were unsure what to make of the entire thing and explored until concluding why <em>not</em> both? Though under the watch of the same faithful moon, the three factions lived separate existences developing civilizations and culture of their own. Sea dwellers thrived in the mysterious comfort of the abyss. Land dwellers flourished in the warmth of the steady sun, traversing the stretch of land given to enlighten themselves. Those in-between, the amphibious, moved to the frigid North, watching their counterparts closely, waiting, coveting.</p><p>They will be forgotten for the moment by both land and sea dwellers as time went on. Sea dwellers decided to give exploring land another go as the land dwellers decided vice versa. Sea dwellers, more adept in practical magic, came to the shore, shedding some token of their identity—a shell, a pelt, scales, et cetera—to gain the attributes of land dwellers. Land dwellers began to build machines to travel and map out the oceans; they found much to their dismay the oceans less hospitable and took to admiring it from afar, creating myths, poetry, shanties and other forms of art to revel in over drinks.</p><p>On the opposite end, sea dwellers found little use for land and figured their ancestors were wise in wanting nothing to do with it entirely.</p><p>They lived separately in peace for a time and would have continued to do so had it not been for one unlucky sea dweller that drank too much on land and left their token behind at a bar. When their mistake was realized, a land dweller had found it. From there a string of unfortunate events in which land dwellers not only became aware that the legends were true but actively hunted them. Some demanded a wish for the return of the token, others greedier demanded riches, the cruelest demanded a sea dweller's hand in marriage <em>never</em> to have their token or the comfort of their true home again.</p><p>The most powerful sea dweller of all decided enough was enough and fractured their own power into seven pearls that they scattered across the seven seas with only the moon as witness, waiting with bated breath, the sea unmoving in anticipation. </p><p><em>"It is done,"</em> said the mighty one, calling back the lost to joyfully return home, ebbing away any true memory land dwellers had of what had been before. All that remained were legends, rumor, myths—mostly of the seven pearls, some of the mysterious sea dwellers and their tokens. The mighty one faded away into sea form as their sacrifice to protect their people. All was well.</p><p>Was.</p><p>Until it wasn't.</p><p>A funny thing happened to land dwellers on their way to modern times after they crossbred with sea dwellers, even if they did not fully remember except as a "legend." The mysticality of sea dwellers intermingled with their blood, creating an abnormal <em>rare</em> off-shoot that exhibited traits more animal then person. Not the animal traits of sea dwellers, however, but of a more simian variety—tails, the ability to transform (though only when touched with the light of the full moon), strength beyond measure—they called themselves <em>Saiyajin</em> and were just as much an accepted part of land dweller life as any.</p><p>Unfortunately it wasn't the Saiyajin that ended up being the issue, if it were <em>only</em> them they could have been appeased. The amphibious had begun to make their move, spreading their icy touch along the seas in search of the seven pearls and of total domination. The sea dwellers put up resistance and were eliminated, scattered, their culture decimated into ruins with the threat from the amphibious to the land dwellers that the same would happen to them.</p><p><em>Fortunately</em>, King Cold said, he had use for the land dwellers more so than the sea dwellers. The Saiyajin were mighty enough to act as muscle for his army, the technology of the non-Saiyajin would be used for weaponry.</p><p>Fortunately happened to be in heavy quotation marks as it was essentially slavery.</p><p>Frieza, Cold's younger son, often bragged about how he had personally wiped out the kingdom of the sea dwellers, telling the oldest son of the Saiyajin King how the royals had a young daughter about his age.</p><p>"<em>Had</em>, of course," he would chuckle with unnatural mirth. "She was a lovely girl, even when I pierced her heart. Such sweet blood, too."</p><p>Prince Vegeta was no stranger to battle as a Saiyajin but something about the stories (and they were frequently told to him) made his skin crawl for the duration of the Cold Empire's stay and spread.</p><p>Somehow, though the amphibious insisted they had eradicated every last sea dweller, they continued to order that if one was spotted they should be culled with great vehemence.       </p><p>Years passed. The Saiyajin, being types to <em>hate</em> being ordered around and enslaved, were well and truly weary with the Cold Empire but could not fight back against them. Though their numbers <em>appeared</em> insignificant, King Cold and his two sons by themselves were real monsters with unspeakable power. All seemed hopeless.</p><p>Yet, hope was a matter of perspective. Some sea dwellers escaped to the land, permanently hiding their tokens away to keep the forms of land dwellers, adapting to life in the new world. Among them was the so-called murdered royal, not exactly a princess (though she was often called one) but more aristocratic—Bulma, her family, she remembered that they were generous and always out to help people. They kept the civilization running with their magitech, even while Bulma pondered taking it to a new level by experimenting with land dwelling tech.</p><p>Perhaps they would have eventually, had it not been for the Cold Empire sacking the entire sea dweller world and violently doing away with them.</p><p>Bulma, as Frieza told, was indeed stabbed through the heart with his horns in one of his ghastly larger forms.</p><p>What he did not know was the special heirloom she had close to her heart—literally in this case—one of the seven pearls, emblazoned with two stars, virtually indestructible. It left a nasty wound that would scar after into a distinct mark, and for all intents and purposes Bulma appeared dead, but the amphibious gloated and left too soon unaware of what happened after.</p><p>Lemo, her father's most loyal fellow technician and her guardian, whisked her away immediately to have her wounds treated praying and <em>hoping</em> that if one could survive let it at least be her. Being a guardian or <em>saving</em> people was not a role Lemo had ever pictured for himself, being a no-nonsense sort of fish yet there he was going back and forth to find survivors. They were scarce, and it was risky, not to mention having to nurse the ones he did find back to health, at least he had his natural camouflage to hide from any lingering amphibious.</p><p>While the years passed in becoming more and more tied up with the amphibious for the Saiyajin, the sea dwellers grew and changed among the land dwellers. Their lack of proximity to the ocean was hard, but they adapted, and Bulma herself grew into an industrious young woman. She settled in living with Lemo and her closest friend Cheelai, inventing and engineering machines for everyone that crossed her doorway. With her rare looks of blue hair and eyes, skin as pale as the moon, and a slender figure that belied the strength of hard work and a long struggle Bulma was regarded as a novel enigma among the land dwellers unaware of her origins from below.</p><p>It was really a pain in the ass to her, despite being naturally social Bulma withdrew more and more over the years to focus on her inventions, regarding any stranger with distrust should they turn out to be tied to the hated amphibious. She bided her time with Lemo and Cheelai, planning, hoping, <em>working</em> towards the day when she could enact her revenge on Frieza and the Cold Empire. She just needed a little more time…a little more time to figure out how to find the rest of the curious pearls.</p><p>Just a little more time…everything was going fine already.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Lemo had never been particularly adept with the disguising magic aspect of sea dweller skills, he was more a working with his hands kind of person—hands that he managed to form at least. Two legs, two arms, ten fingers and toes, no tail—good enough. Yes, his face remained a little flatter around the nose area and his skin didn't quite match, that was nothing some heavy clothing and bandages around his face—claiming he was a burn victim—didn't solve. He kept his hat low over his eyes, unusually large and yellow (almost lamp-like), as he watched his companion while <em>she</em> watched the boundaries to town.</p><p>Cheelai was a troublemaker, a regular spitfire with an independent streak wider and longer than even their "princess." Not that he could scold her too much, Cheelai and Bulma were thick as thieves—which incidentally the girl ended up being so herself, grabbing whatever cash she could from travelers to bring back home. It wasn't for any reason in particular, just for the fun of it on her end, her greater skill with disguising magic aided her mischief quite nicely, though she always kept her purple eyes and short, white hair. Why? <em>"It makes things more interesting,"</em> she would answer with a cheeky wink.</p><p>(Honestly Lemo thought she simply couldn't change those aspects and just wouldn't admit it.)</p><p>"Cheelai," the old man began, glancing from her to the large young man sitting on her other side, currently eating their entire reserve of travel food. "You kidnapped a Saiyajin."</p><p>"I <em>rescued</em> him," she argued snottily, kicking away the remains of both the Saiyajin's scouter and the remote control she had smashed. "You said it yourself, that geezer was a total <em>creep</em>!"</p><p>"He was," he admitted, clicking his tongue sympathetically. It was a ghastly image seeing the older Saiyajin tormenting the younger with shock treatment using the collar still around his neck. They had been arguing about something when the two came upon the outsiders, something about disobedience and—something. He didn't quite catch it. "But riling up someone like that, stealing the remote, stealing his <em>kid</em>? That's gonna get the Saiyajin after us, for sure. Bulma's gonna—"</p><p>The Saiyajin looked up at him abruptly, large dark eyes solemnly watching the two as he raised his hands up to grip at the collar; Lemo could tell immediately from the marks around his neck that he had likely tried to pull it off and been shocked several times. He had never seen a Saiyajin in person before, only heard stories that they were <em>gigantic</em> and ludicrously strong, lending to the rumor that there was some relation to sea dwellers. Didn't stop them from being anomalies of course, though the specimen looking at them now appeared downright innocent despite the old scars adorning his skin. The Saiyajin gripped at the pelt of green fur around his waist carefully, with so much more <em>feeling</em>than expected from a ruthless warrior species.</p><p>"Please," he spoke in a low, desperate voice. "Please, can you…get this collar off? They'll find me. They'll take me back to him. I don't…I don't want to go back. He killed my mother." He gripped the fur tighter as he said <em>mother</em> with a note of grief that tore at Lemo's heart.</p><p>"You see, Lemo?" Cheelai insisted, covering the young man's hand with hers. "We <em>saved</em> him!" She turned to the Saiyajin, continuing: "Don't worry, Broly, we've got this! Bulma's a genius, she'll get that collar off and you can stay with us!"</p><p>"<em>Cheelai</em>!" Lemo barked slapping a gloved hand to the ground, straightening up. "We can't just—and when did you even get his <em>name</em>?!"</p><p>"Duh, he's part <em>sea dweller</em>, Lemo," she chuffed, patting Broly on the shoulder. "We totally connected!"</p><p>He groaned, rolling his eyes, removing his hat and bandages to properly show Cheelai just how displeased his reaction was. "Come on, that bit about Saiyajin coming from sea dwell—"</p><p>"No, she <em>was</em> a sea dweller," Broly interrupted with a strangely considerate tone. "Father…" He faltered, a look of distress coming over him, his posture closing in on himself as though he expected to be hit. Cheelai squeezed his hand, staring at him with a meaningful look.</p><p>Lemo sighed, his pity now far outweighing his apprehension. "All right, all right, calm down big guy," he said, holding out his hands to show his blaster was holstered and no harm would come to Broly. "We'll take care of you, Bulma will get rid of that collar easy."</p><p>"Ah…" A hopeful expression had crossed Broly's face then, a wide-eyed innocence Lemo hadn't seen since Bulma and Cheelai were young guppies, sunshine beaming through the dreariness of his aura little by little. So that was what a pure, untainted soul was like, huh? Amazing considering what had been implied about the Saiyajin's background. "What is…she like?" he asked cautiously as the group packed up to leave.</p><p>"Don't worry, she's cool," Cheelai insisted, slipping away her disguise of a more "human" skin color to reveal her natural green tint. "Whaddya think? I match your pelt, huh?" she teased.</p><p>Broly patted at the pelt around his waist again, almost self-conscious seeming. "This…was hers," he mumbled. "I have a tail instead of a pelt…"</p><p>Yikes. Lemo winced, looking away from the social faux pas of the century.</p><p>"But you're very pretty," he heard Broly continue.</p><p><em>Flirting at a time like this? </em>he mentally huffed, though he believed the statement to be a genuine compliment rather than hitting on Cheelai.</p><p>"Awww, I bet you say that to all the girls," she giggled, allowing the awkwardness to roll off her back as was usual for her.</p><p>Oh <em>boy</em>, Bulma was not going to like this. "You've heard about what the Colds did to us," Lemo cut in on the schmoopy nonsense brusquely, snapping the two back to attention.</p><p>"Yes…" his mournful tone answered.</p><p>Of course, some part of his soul must have been aching at missing the sea, too. At least being part, Broly probably missed the torment of hearing the moon calling for them to return to the sea every night when they tried to sleep.</p><p>"Everything you heard was true, except news of <em>some</em> deaths were greatly exaggerated. So just keep that in mind with Bulma, okay?" Lemo realized he sounded a little aggressive as he spoke—couldn't help it, really—part sea dweller or not Broly was a <em>stranger</em>. Bulma and Cheelai, troublesome and temperamental they might have been, were family to the old fish. It was his <em>duty</em> to look after them, and dammit he <em>liked</em> the kids—though they were hardly kids anymore at 23.</p><p>Never mind all of that, he needed a stiff drink after a day like <em>this</em>.</p><p>"Frieza…tells the story a lot," Broly eventually said with a heavy sigh. "Way too much. It's…I know other Saiyajin became numb to it, but it always bothered me." His eyes hardened, determination inherent. "If it's like you said, and if she can remove my collar, I'll…do anything to repay that. I won't let the Saiyajin or the amphibious hurt you. Any of you."</p><p>Whoa. He didn't like the look in Broly's eyes very much, there was definitely a glow there—did Saiyajin glow? He knew some sea dwellers could, and a certain state could change things…</p><p>"…I hope, though, my friends don't get sent here," Broly continued, the hardness melting off of him like paint washing away.</p><p>"Don't worry," Lemo managed while Cheelai gave her own assurances. "We blend in. And we can defend ourselves. I mean, if you wanna chip in that's fine too, but let's get ya settled first."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>A cool lake rested in the middle of Saiyajin territory, its stretch of serene blue served as a crossroads of sorts between Saiyajin and other land dwellers. For Prince Vegeta, it was an area of repose, a place of escape from boring politics and the humiliating cycle of bowing to King Cold and his abominable offspring when they visited. They were very insistent on checking to be <em>sure</em> the Saiyajin had indeed swept all areas possible checking for sea dwellers.</p><p>Honestly Vegeta didn't care, not a <em>damn</em> bit. Not about the expectations on him as a future ruler, not about eliminating sea dwellers, not about Paragus rambling that Broly ran away—good! He should have done that a long time ago! Everyone pretended not to notice the collar but Vegeta <em>knew</em>—he had tried to pry it off himself only to find the blasted thing was hurting <em>both</em> of them as he attempted. It wasn't proper to keep a Saiyajin as a <em>pet</em> that way, a disobedient animal to punish with pain, for what? Because Broly acted out of line and was strong? Worst of all his <em>father</em> agreed with it, declaring that Broly was a freak of nature and shouldn't even exist, it was either the collar or banishment.</p><p>But Vegeta didn't care. Not about that, not about sea dwellers, not about <em>Kakarot</em> running off as well to marry some princess from another land—however the hell he accomplished that, the oaf had the devil's own luck. He didn't care that Kakarot claimed his master was a sea dweller either. So? No way! They were <em>extinct</em>! Kakarot could run off with some <em>ox princess</em> because she roundhouse kicked him or whatever—Broly could run away—he <em>didn't care</em>.</p><p>He sighed, sinking himself deeper into the water, feeling it relax him and cool his blood, settle his turbulent thoughts and conflicting emotions about—about—being alone. Nothing mattered in the water, he was at peace. Perhaps there was something to the rumor that Saiyajin were descended from the first offspring of land and sea after all; Saiyajin were all born with the ability to swim and see underwater as though wearing those ridiculous goggles other land dwellers used. They couldn't <em>breathe</em> underwater, of course, but they had impressive lung capacity regardless.</p><p>Water left him feeling weightless, like there were no demanding expectations on him about being a prince and future king. Nobody would put in their opinion about how he should live his life when really, truly, he wanted to be free to fight and grow stronger. He wanted to live as a person that wasn't bothered with petty nonsense and politics. He wanted to explore the world <em>beyond</em> military campaigns chasing ghosts that lived in the paranoid minds of the Colds.</p><p>Being a prince was <em>nice</em>, Vegeta supposed, but…his eyes slipped closed as he drifted.</p><p>Regret crawled through him the moment he did as he saw visions of blood in the water behind his eyes. Chilling anxiety at the thought of the carnage lost beneath the waves squeezed his heart. The sea dwellers' species and heritage completely wiped away by the amphibious, such a thing could just as easily happen to the Saiyajin. By the gods that he hardly believed in, Vegeta didn't <em>want</em> that for his people as much as he hated having to kowtow to the whims of the empire and bear the weight of other peoples' hopes.</p><p>The shadow of something the size of a person passed over him, Vegeta's eyes snapped open only to see nothing but the depths around him, sunlight filtering through to illuminate the lake. <em>What was that?</em> he thought first, there were only fish in the lake but none that large. <em>It was nothing,</em> he thought second, pushing himself back up to the surface to breathe and dry off. <em>I am only imagining things</em>. He was thinking too much of the sea dwellers' eradication, no thanks to Frieza's graphic (<em>constant</em>) retelling of how he personally razed the center of their society.</p><p><em>"First went their founder, his bones snapped like twigs—then his wife, screaming that I spare her daughters. Oh, yes, the eldest was third, she put up a fight to protect the youngest,"</em> his voice cooed with relish in Vegeta's mind, bringing him back to the dimly lit banquet room where the ghastly lizard sipped wine. <em>"And she…the youngest—she would be about your age, Vegeta—she was a </em>gem.<em> A brilliant mind, a spunky attitude, and the loveliest hair—blue, my dear—blue like the sea itself. And her eyes, blue like sapphires. Ah, she stood out so beautifully against the backdrop of </em>red<em> I had brought. I remember her not for her looks, not entirely, mind you—</em>she<em> put up a </em>real<em> fight. It was too bad I overkilled in my temper, I think I could have won her over to my side, and she would have made a treasure of an addition to the empire. Poor young Bulma. You know," </em>Frieza would pause then, taking a moment to reach out and take Vegeta's chin with one clawed hand while petting the hair of Tarble—the younger Saiyajin prince—with the other. <em>"She didn't even scream when I stabbed her through the heart, boys. She glared at me until the light left her eyes. I will never forget how she looked at me like she was setting a curse on my </em>soul<em>. Sometimes I regret those pearls only being a myth, I would revive the little princess just to kill her </em>again<em>."</em></p><p>Vegeta shuddered. He told himself it was because of a breeze that wasn't there chilling his still-wet skin as he dressed. He was no stranger to death or battle, no Saiyajin was, at another point in time it likely would have been himself leading the slaughter of such people. The gods only knew it was what their campaigns were leading to, should they come across sea dwellers hiding on land. He told himself it wouldn't be a dishonorable thing to do, since sea dwellers were capable of fighting back. He told himself he didn't feel immensely burdened by his own heritage and duty as he straightened out his armor.</p><p>Perhaps he could stay among the rock formations around and jutting into the lake a little longer to meditate, he decided, almost missing the splash of someone else exiting the water further off. Nothing to worry about, he tutted himself, it was probably a fish or some bird on the hunt.</p><p>Only, neither of those <em>sang</em>—at least not in words he could comprehend.</p><p>He paused, listening closer, not realizing his feet were already moving in the direction of the melodious—strangely hypnotizing—voice.</p><p>Vegeta crept carefully to the niche among the rocks, peeking around to see…what was he looking at? He thought it was the back of a woman, but strange, different, she sat on a bundle of furs—brushing her? Its? Hair and adjusting itself as it sang.</p><p>The bundle of furs moved, Vegeta realized, covering his mouth to silence his noise of shock—it was a <em>fin</em>, he couldn't be <em>seeing</em> this, could he?! Person-shaped but covered with fur, and it had a <em>fin</em>.</p><p>The creature shifted again, appearing to <em>peel off</em> its own fur and take on the appearance of a land-dwelling woman. She trailed off into humming as she dressed herself.</p><p>Vegeta remained stunned by what he had seen. A <em>sea dweller</em>—a real one! A creature with a fin and blue fur took off her own pelt to—…blue? Blue fur…blue…hair? At least what he could see from her back facing him, wavy cerulean hair draped down the expanse of her back, standing out against pale skin. Could it be…?</p><p>He shook himself out of his thoughts, stepping forward with the idea of <em>handling</em> this unfortunate surprise he ran into rather than dumbly <em>staring</em> at it. Orders were orders, weren't they?</p><p>Of course, Vegeta in no way expected the thing to <em>turn around</em>, a gun in one hand pointed at him and the other clutching her pelt—now a jacket with fur lining (<em>how?!</em>)—to cover her chest. "Do you <em>mind</em>?!" she screeched, the pitch a gratingly terrible contrast to the voice that lured him before. "It's rude to peek at ladies!"</p><p>Vegeta opened his mouth to retort that he didn't know what her gender had to do with anything when her gaze sharpened as she looked him over. Recognition dawned on her expression. She knew he was Saiyajin, she knew he wasn't there for peeping, she knew it was pointless to fight. And yet…to his surprise, the woman's jaw tensed, she tightened her grip on her gun, her energy—minute though it was—flared out in a threat display. Her eyes were cold fire as she glowered at him, the bared teeth sharp like a Saiyajin's.</p><p>Frieza's words about his most cherished kill reoccurred to Vegeta as he watched her, noticing for the first time a scar on the woman's chest over her heart. A hole with lightning-like streaks radiating out, two curiously perfect stars burned in the center of the mark. The mark of a battle not won but <em>survived</em>. <em>Could</em> it be…?</p><p>"…Your name. Would it happen to be Bulma?" Vegeta found himself asking, his own voice sounding out of place to him in the tense standoff with how calm it was.</p><p>"Who's asking?" she growled, flicking a switch on the gun, a high-pitched whirr coming from the device for a moment.</p><p>As much as Vegeta never usually resisted telling everyone exactly <em>who</em> he was, blatantly stating that he was <em>the prince of all Saiyajin</em> wouldn't help him in this particular situation. "Vegeta," he answered, choosing for the moment to leave off his title.</p><p>She didn't lower her gun, though the woman did stand up, eyes trained on his with deadly precision. "Well, <em>Vegeta</em>, you've got some nerve trying to get answers from me when I'm not even <em>dressed</em>."</p><p>"And you've got some nerve talking to <em>me</em> like that," he couldn't help retorting. Then again, she didn't know who he <em>was</em> besides someone that could kill her without thinking twice. "I—"</p><p>A searing blast hitting his chest and knocking Vegeta out cold interrupted any further train of thought or protest from him.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>To say Bulma was having a rough day would have been an understatement, it was more accurate to say she was having a rough <em>entirety of her life since she turned 16</em>. If one were to ask her, she would say the trouble started when her father, the dearly departed Briefs, decided <em>"hey, let's start a center of civilization here, then maybe settle down and have kids way late into our twilight years, why not?"</em> From there other sea dwellers jokingly called them the royal family, and she hadn't <em>minded</em> when she was five years old.</p><p>But then they wouldn't stop calling her "princess" even long after everyone died. The implication that she was responsible for every remaining sea dweller's safety was there, and dammit she hated that she couldn't resist <em>wanting</em>to protect her people anyway. At her age she should have been leaving behind a trail of broken hearts, exploring! Adventuring! Really learning what it meant to be an adult!</p><p>What did she have? Trauma and the weight of her peoples' survival on her shoulders, not to mention personally taking revenge against Frieza—and she had a plan, of course! But it was still a pain in the ass!</p><p><em>Now</em>…what now? There she was getting dressed, pulling on her cargo pants and boots, buttoning up her shirt and slipping back on her jacket-slash-pelt as she observed an unconscious Saiyajin before her. Not bad-looking, she guessed, in a weirdly proportioned alien way. Did all Saiyajin look like him? Monkey tail, check, freakish amount of muscles, check—stupid hair, double check. Yep, definitely a Saiyajin, "Vegeta" so he claimed—stupid name to go with a stupid-looking man. She checked him over again, making sure the "kill" setting on her gun didn't hurt him <em>too</em> badly, just knocked him out, if she wanted to kill a Saiyajin that would be a job for the "obliterate" setting.</p><p>(Though she still wondered, wondered deep down in her heart if she could <em>really</em> kill someone when it came down to it…)</p><p>Bulma kneeled down to his level, pressing two fingers to his neck to be sure there was still a pulse. Satisfied by the slow but steady heartbeat she felt, she stood, brushing herself off to leave for home. "Well, Vegeta, I'm not a liar so I won't say it's been fun, but I hope you make it home safe. <em>I've</em> got people waiting for me—later!" She turned on her heel to leave and forget she had the bad luck of running into someone that could have turned her world upside down…</p><p>Until something grabbed her around the ankle and literally <em>turned her upside down</em>.</p><p>She shrieked, struggling against the iron grip of the Saiyajin holding her down against the ground, pinning her in place by straddling her hips. He looked <em>infuriated</em> to say the least, breathing hard with a slight wheeze, a vein pulsing on his forehead—yikes, he looked even more like some bizarre animal, maybe there <em>was</em> something to Saiyajin being distant relatives of theirs.</p><p>"Whoa now, buddy—" She wriggled a little, trying not to panic, her mind working to figure out how to get herself out of this situation <em>alive</em> so she could go home to Cheelai and Lemo in one piece.</p><p>"<em>Shut up</em>," the Saiyajin snarled, baring his teeth. "I'm a <em>very patient person</em>, you'll find, so I will give you one more chance—your name, what <em>is</em> it?"</p><p>Bulma bared her own teeth back at him, thinking—unfortunately—she would have to resort to the most primal reaction first to deter him. "What does it matter anyway? You're just going to kill me—I mean, unless you've fallen for me figuratively too?"</p><p>Gods alive, her big mouth, she just couldn't resist making a smartass comment, could she?</p><p>…Oddly, his grip on her slackened slightly, he leaned back, staring down at her with a look of confusion. "What are you even <em>talking</em> about?" he stumbled over his words. "What <em>other</em> meaning does fa—?" Vegeta shook his head, resuming his grip on her. "Never mind!"</p><p>Too late, Bulma had gripped his wrists to push him off—finding he wouldn't move…ugh.</p><p>She bared her teeth and bit him hard enough to draw blood on his hand. He howled, rolling away from her to clutch his hand, staring at her in shock that she even <em>did</em> such a thing. Bulma sneered at him, spitting out his blood into the dirt before jumping to her feet. "Go ahead, Vegeta. Tell Frieza that you found <em>Princess Bulma</em>, he won't believe you—his ego would never let him."</p><p>He watched her as she aimed her gun at him again, flipping the switch to "obliterate," backing away to take off into the forest when the opportunity presented itself.</p><p>"Don't follow me, buddy. You'll regret it."</p><p>"…No, wait."</p><p>
  <em>Don't wait, Bulma, it's a bad idea.</em>
</p><p>Bulma waited, watching the Saiyajin as he pulled himself to his feet, staring at her with those fathomless eyes of his.</p><p>"<em>What</em>?" she burst, not enjoying the expression she couldn't read.</p><p>Further confusing her, Vegeta squared his shoulders, a determined expression coming over his face as if coming to a decision. "Take me with you," he said. "I don't have a scouter, I don't have any sort of tracker on me. Wherever you're hiding, take me with you."</p><p>She didn't know what her face looked like then, she didn't know what her <em>thoughts</em> were then either, she only stared back at him with her mouth agape like a moron. "<em>Are you NUTS?!</em>"</p><p>Heedless of the birds and wildlife skittering away at the volume of her voice, Vegeta scowled. "You're planning to destroy the Colds, aren't you? You must be. You want revenge for your people, don't you? I want in on whatever you're going to do." It sounded as though he was being genuinely noble until he added: "I'm the strongest of my people. You'll <em>need</em> my strength to pull anything off against Frieza alone, never mind Cooler and Cold."</p><p>Bulma hissed, lip curling—of course, there was some price to stroke some land dweller's ego. They were all like that, taking and taking and taking from the sea but giving nothing back. What <em>if</em> she let him assist in revenge against the Colds? He and the rest of the Saiyajin would become tyrants in their place, exploiting the sea dwellers' magic like in the past. Even now one hand gripped her jacket tightly, <em>just</em> so she was sure this <em>stranger</em> wasn't going to take her pelt away to force her into a contract she couldn't escape from. Not if she ever wanted to return <em>home</em>, anyway. "I don't <em>need</em> a <em>land dweller</em> to help me take what's <em>mine</em>," she growled, grip tightening both on her jacket and her gun.</p><p>"Frieza gloats about how he killed you every time he visits," Vegeta said, voice calm like he was choosing his words with great care (<em>spinning some lie to win me over!</em>) "I understand. I know your pride was wounded by him."</p><p>"You don't understand <em>shit</em>, Saiyajin!" Bulma screamed, now shaking. "<em>Your</em> people get to live comfortably! Openly! I haven't been back to the sea in <em>years</em>—this lake is all I have! And now—<em>now</em> that's been taken by land dwellers, too! <em>I</em>am responsible for my people, even if we didn't have a monarchy, it's on <em>me</em> to liberate us!" She choked, eyes closing to keep the tears from showing. "It's on me…"</p><p>And gods above, how lonely it was. If this Saiyajin lost his temper and killed her for yelling at him, it would be both a relief and a curse.</p><p>He didn't look angry at all, he only smiled bitterly, chuckling like he was trying to hold his own composure in the face of great stress. "Woman," he said, voice strained, "You're not the only one. Try actually <em>being</em> the next in line for your peoples' throne."</p><p>Bulma jerked back, lowering her gun just a little. What did <em>that</em> mean? He couldn't be the king of the Saiyajin, he looked about her age and from what she had heard the king was—</p><p>"You have every right not to trust land dwellers, I know what they've done," he continued. "They've stolen your freedom, your lives, your home—hell, I have an…associate whose mother <em>was</em> a sea dweller, forced into marriage because of her stolen pelt. Even now you're probably thinking that because I'm a prince I've been given everything I have and it's what I expect, and if I'm not given I take by force. But you're wrong."</p><p>Did he think she was naïve or something? That just because he looked and sounded truthful, just because…because someone might really, <em>really</em> understand how lonely she felt under all the pressure. It <em>must</em> have been worse for him, being an actual prince, he must have been…lonely too. And it was taking all of his pride to admit this and offer his help.</p><p>"I do not take something if I have not earned it." Vegeta's eyes hardened, though his gaze wasn't directed at her, clearly thinking of Frieza. "I see even now you're protecting your pelt from me, thinking I would steal it to use your power, to <em>own</em> you. I don't believe in such a thing. There is no honor in keeping slaves."</p><p>"Say I do decide to let you in on the plan to destroy the Colds," Bulma interrupted his speech cautiously, "…Vegeta." His name felt foreign on her tongue, yet natural at the same time. "You're not some nobody chump among the Saiyajin, you're their <em>prince</em>—who's going to let you be missing for who knows how long? You've probably got prince duties like finding a <em>queen</em>—or duke if that's what you're into—planning, I don't know, what do royals do? Balls? They like balls, right?"</p><p>"As in the type for games?" Vegeta asked, tilting his head, visibly confused by her tirade. "And what's this about queens and dukes? That's not part of my duties, it hardly matters if I marry or not."</p><p>"I don't know!" she shrilled, throwing her hands up. "I don't know what <em>princes</em> do! The point is—"</p><p>"Right, my father knows better than to try and tell me what to do and monitor my activities," Vegeta replied with all the boredom of sorting laundry. "The old man knows I'm stronger than him."</p><p>"Okay, what do you want, a medal?" Bulma rolled her eyes—typical man boasting about how strong he was, no better than some macho meatheads she knew back at home. "All right, trust fund baby doesn't have daddy breathing down his neck. <em>So</em>?"</p><p>"I am not a baby, woman!"</p><p>"And my name isn't woman, it's <em>Bulma</em>!"</p><p>"If you don't get to the point I'm just going to follow you back regardless of your answer."</p><p>Bulma scoffed, flipping her hair dismissively. "I can <em>change my appearance</em>, princey, you'd never catch up to me."</p><p>"You can't change your scent." Leaving no room for Bulma to comment on <em>how damned creepy it was</em> that he had already caught a whiff of her scent, Vegeta went on: "At any rate, all I have to do is tell my father I'm training. He won't question it."</p><p>"Oh…" She trailed off, looking down at the ground. That was all, huh? "Your parents don't…worry about you? They don't ask if you're okay?"</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>What in the hell sort of question was <em>that</em>? Vegeta blinked, squinting at the—it turned out—very much alive and <em>incredibly</em> baffling woman before him. He expected his first time encountering a real in-the-flesh sea dweller to involve more…well, <em>more</em> than what he was getting. Threats, crying, begging, brutal murder—but no, <em>she</em> was copping a serious attitude with him, she attacked him, she <em>bit</em> him. Would it be awkward to tell her then Saiyajin considered physical challenges like that a form of coming onto them?</p><p>Absolutely <em>not</em>, that would just make him sound desperate and creepy like the hormonal teenage lower class. He had standards! He had dignity!</p><p>He had to remain calm. She had a plan, he <em>knew</em> she had a plan, and he needed support that knew how to <em>hide</em> from the empire, not to mention were a little more intelligent than the standard Saiyajin. With how she had, with little effort, thrown him off his center and <em>injured</em> him (though mildly!) the woman was clearly useful. He just needed to convince her that <em>he</em> was, as much as he would usually loathe trying to appeal to someone else about how great he was (they should have <em>known</em> already).</p><p>"I'm a grown man, my parents have nothing to do with my current affairs."</p><p>"Oh."</p><p>That strange, small tone again, nothing like the fiery woman from earlier, what was that?</p><p>Vegeta considered for a moment—he might have not focused entirely on emotions but that didn't mean he was ignorant to them—Bulma had witnessed her entire family being slaughtered right in front of her by Frieza. Not only that, she didn't get to join them in the afterlife, instead she was revived and burdened with the yoke of retribution for her people.</p><p>It sounded lonely.</p><p>Did he unintentionally find some sort of kindred spirit? Could something like that happen?</p><p>Bah, ludicrous, he shook himself out of the <em>damaging</em> mindset of trying to sort through feelings. "Come on! Focus!" Vegeta wasn't certain if he was telling himself that or her that more. "The point is, no, there isn't going to be some sort of interruption down the line where my father announces I'm getting married or whatever the hell you've read in books about royalty—Saiyajin don't <em>work</em> like that."</p><p>"I wasn't going to leap that far, but good to know," Bulma replied, raising an eyebrow at his outburst. "My sister was more of a bookworm than me, by the way, I worked on machines and stuff."</p><p>"Good for <em>you</em>," Vegeta sneered back, tapping his foot impatiently. "I don't want to rush you—" A lie, of course he did, "—But are you going to give me a real answer or not? I don't have to do something redundant and humiliating like <em>explain</em> to you why I would possibly want the Colds dead, do I? I would think it obvious!"</p><p>"You know that your people are next when they're done with you," she said somberly, her posture going slack as if weighed down by defeat. "The Saiyajin will soon grow too strong for the amphibious to control."</p><p>"That's right, and <em>I</em> am the strongest of my people," he continued, tail flicking side to side, oddly pleased that she caught on so quickly.</p><p>She watched him for a long time with those unnerving eyes of hers, storm clouds gathering into the sapphire depths as she mulled it over, considered him to see if he was worthy. He didn't like being watched in such a way yet couldn't break her enigmatic gaze. It felt like she was looking directly into his soul, though as far as he knew sea dwellers weren't capable of such a thing.</p><p>Finally, after what seemed to be an eternity, Bulma took a step forward, another step, then another, until she was within reach of him. Vegeta wouldn't balk, wouldn't show that the proximity very much made him uncomfortable. He couldn't hide the expression of befuddlement when she held out her hand to him, hand held on its side—not up for a ki blast, not curled into a fist, what was she doing?</p><p>"We make this deal," Bulma said, her tone and expression grim as she held out her hand. "I don't care what you intend to do with me when you're done but leave the other sea dwellers in peace."</p><p>Honestly Vegeta hadn't considered what he would do <em>after</em> the Colds were dead, that she very directly gave her permission to do…something when they were done was unusual. And just <em>why</em> was she holding out her hand like that? He searched his memory for some hint of gestures between land dwellers and remembered something that seemed appropriate to commemorate a deal, something suitably polite. He took her hand carefully—minding that sea dweller or not she was still weaker than him physically—and turned her palm down, pulling it forward to him (not minding the stumble and bewildered look from her) to press a chaste kiss to her knuckles.</p><p>Judging by the way her face turned cherry red and her pulling back against him, it <em>might</em> have not been the correct response. Cursed <em>social obligations</em>. Vegeta straightened up, making a show of wiping his mouth so he could turn away and hide the blush that covered his own cheeks. "What?" he snapped, trying to sound sharp but—much to his horror—sounding squeakier than anything. "Isn't that a proper gesture?"</p><p>"Uh…y-yeah…" At least Bulma seemed as mortified as him, she mumbled and fidgeted while stuffing her hands into her pockets. "B-but, not for closing deals…that's, um…more of a…well, d-didn't <em>you</em> know? I thought princes did that stuff!"</p><p>"Saiyajin <em>don't</em>, evidently." He seemed to successfully hide his own embarrassment from the woman as she didn't comment on it any further.</p><p>For a moment, until she smiled at him, eyes twinkling in a way Vegeta was <em>very</em> unfamiliar with. "Geez, you're acting like you've never kissed a girl before. What's the matter, his royal highness doesn't get to date much?"</p><p><em>Date? What the hell is date? </em>He scowled at her, tail lashing back and forth involuntarily. "I don't have time for such frivolous things." It really wasn't something he thought about often, Vegeta was more interested in training and growing stronger, the fact that he was engaging in discussion about it <em>now</em> wasn't normal. Really, it all sounded like a gigantic pain in the ass he just didn't want to deal with. "And <em>you</em>? What do <em>you</em> do? Sitting around singing like a fool to lure men over?"</p><p>It was a petty thing to say, he didn't know why he felt the need to needle at this woman, maybe it was because he never got to have a real conversation about nothing with a person. Bulma didn't care about politics or military campaigns, she seemed just as eager to tease him back.</p><p><em>That</em> comment in particular struck some sort of nerve in a way he <em>didn't</em> want, though, as Bulma withdrew, staring at him warily, clutching at her jacket that carried her pelt again.</p><p>Oh. Perhaps a sea dweller wouldn't be so keen on <em>luring</em> men towards them after all. He stumbled over his words, trying to find some way to save his own skin from how uncomfortable things had become and bring her back. "It isn't…objectionable. Your singing, I mean."</p><p>"You really think so?" Bulma's eyes widened, a stark look of innocence that surprised him. "Cheelai's always told me I sound like a dying seagull with a bad cough."</p><p>"You're actually telling me that you're a sea dweller whose singing is mocked by other sea dwellers."</p><p>"Well just a second ago you were cooking up some weird story about me being some temptress that lures in land dwellers with my singing, I mean, just so you know we stopped doing that way long before I was born." She went on, dramatically gesturing with one hand, still keeping the other hand on her jacket. "Besides…that's not something I can…" Her attitude deflated into that quiet, meek persona again, thoroughly confusing Vegeta.</p><p><em>Not even with other sea dwellers? For however many are left, anyway,</em> he wanted to ask until remembering—no, she <em>wasn't</em> regarded as just another sea dweller. Bulma was a prisoner of circumstance and the high regard her people held for her, nobody would treat her like anything but some <em>symbol</em>.</p><p>What a fool he was, what the hell was wrong with him that he was feeling sympathy towards some stranger—some <em>creature</em> that he didn't even know, even if it <em>was</em> for the sake of finally achieving that distant dream of getting rid of the Colds.</p><p>"Never mind it, this is a pointless topic anyway!" he snipped, crossing his arms and turning away. "Just—just get us out of here and to your hiding place, I'll go back to my father and tell him I'm <em>taking an extended training trip</em>. We can go on from there when I get back."</p><p>"Okay, I guess you're inviting yourself into my house then," Bulma said, already digging into her pocket to take out a small capsule. "I don't mind, exactly, but I've got roommates, so you're going to have to resist being a massive asshole to them."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Something she was learning quickly about Vegeta was more than likely he was incredibly sheltered, both by his own making and his status. He certainly didn't <em>talk</em> to people often, though she didn't mind talking to him that much…until he hit upon very sensitive topics like an unwieldly asshole which she was guessing happened to be a Saiyajin thing. Maybe not, maybe it was a prince of Saiyajin thing. The expressions he made, when he allowed them to be shown, were <em>priceless</em>, he looked like he was about to have a coronary when she pointed out a kiss on the hand wasn't appropriate for closing deals. Perhaps he was a little shy? Weird to think of a bloodthirsty Saiyajin that way—not just a Saiyajin, but a land dweller with the full knowledge of what <em>she</em> was.</p><p>Somehow…somehow, though, Bulma believed Vegeta's declaration that he didn't take by force which—yes—was a <em>very</em> loaded statement considering everything. He appeared sincere, even while he was obviously desperate to find <em>someone</em> who would help him with overthrowing the amphibious. Maybe he was a little lonely like her and needed someone to talk to.</p><p>Then again, maybe not. It wouldn't do to speculate on someone who was still a relative stranger to her. She clicked the capsule, throwing it out to reveal her bike in a puff of smoke which—oh good, prompted a <em>hilarious</em> expression of shock from Vegeta.</p><p>"Wh—what's this?" he stuttered, pointing at the bike like one would a pile of shit. "Some sort of magic?!"</p><p>"It's a motorbike," Bulma laughed. "Never ridden one before?" She didn't want to explain capsule technology right at the moment, not when she didn't truly know Vegeta's intentions—he could still betray her down the line.</p><p>"I don't <em>need</em> to," he huffed petulantly. "I can fly."</p><p>"Yeah, well," she shrugged, already pulling on her helmet to get on the bike, "Flying isn't discreet. I don't want to set off any scouters that might be nearby with your energy. And I can't fly either, you don't want to carry me, do you?"</p><p>He opened his mouth to answer, paused for a moment looking like a distressed fish, finally closed it again with a snap, his cheeks faintly tinting pink.</p><p>"So, get on."</p><p>"<em>Excuse me</em>?"</p><p>Bulma insistently gestured at the passenger seat behind her. "<em>Get on</em>, hotshot, you're riding with me—I don't have a helmet for you, though, doubt one could fit over your hair. Saiyajin have hard heads, right?"</p><p>There was a man who had never ridden a vehicle in his life, he awkwardly sat himself behind her, visibly trying to keep himself from touching her in the slightest, groping around for something to hang onto while she started up the bike. If she had to give the guy one thing, he was sturdy, the initial jumpstart didn't even sway him as they took off through the forest.</p><p>"Like I said, I have roommates!" she shouted over the roar of the engine. "Cheelai and Lemo are cool, but don't make any smartass remarks before I explain what's going on! Hey—is it true Saiyajin eat a lot?"</p><p>"We eat the amount necessary to sustain our strength!" Vegeta shouted back. "That just happens to be a little more than usual for land dwellers!"</p><p>"Okay, well—" She jolted at the feel of the road turning bumpy, Vegeta's hands went to her waist—why? Apparently to steady her rather than himself, an unusually gentlemanly action for the Saiyajin. "We eat fish—is that a problem?"</p><p>For the moment she would ignore how warm and secure his hands felt.  Wouldn't do to get weird and pining over a man that strong-armed her into this entire situation.</p><p>"Not at all, it's not in a Saiyajin's nature to be picky!"</p><p>Of course he sounded smug about that, like it was a thing to feel superior over? Weirdo.</p><p>The "hiding place" as Vegeta insisted on calling it wasn't as elaborate as he must have been imagining, it was more of a remote village established by sea dwellers, far away from the ocean. In time it became a hub of traders coming in to buy and commission Bulma's machinery.</p><p>He looked suitably unimpressed by the meager presentation after they passed the boundaries. "This is <em>it</em>?"</p><p>"Sorry, we can't all have fancy palaces with the works," she snorted, noticing for the first time that Cheelai was waiting for her practically vibrating in place. Bulma paused, watching Cheelai suspiciously—it wasn't usual for her to wait unless something was going on.</p><p>Something like her wanting a favor, judging by the smile and batting of her eyes as she approached them. Bulma pushed Vegeta lightly on the chest, signaling to him to stay back. "It's Cheelai, one of my roommates," she explained, nodding to the other woman.</p><p>"She has green skin," Vegeta observed.</p><p>"Yeah, some of us are like that, you're going to have to get over it."</p><p>"Bulmaaaa~" Cheelai chirped, all sunshine and happiness.</p><p>Very suspicious.</p><p>She didn't seem to notice Vegeta just behind Bulma at all as she stopped in front of her. "Bulma! Bulma, my sweet, wonderful, kind, <em>beautiful</em> kin from another fin! My princess—nay, my <em>queen</em>!"</p><p>"Okay, Cheelai, what do you want?" Bulma sighed, unimpressed by the flattery.</p><p>"Well…" Cheelai looked behind herself, grasping Bulma by the wrist to pull her back to their house. "I need you to do something for a friend Lemo and I picked up."</p><p>Again, she didn't seem to notice Vegeta, who was still following them even as Bulma was led into the house. "Oh, good, Lemo's cooking," Bulma said, feeling herself relax with the familiarity of home. "I'll—"</p><p>"<em>Broly</em>?" Vegeta burst from behind her.</p><p>That was when Bulma realized the <em>large</em> muscular man just sitting in the living room allowing the cats to lounge on his massive body. Tanned skin, scars, wild black hair, a general look of confusion—must have been a Saiyajin, only, he was missing a tail? As far as Bulma could see—he had a…pelt…a green…pelt…</p><p>"Oh, gods, Cheelai you <em>didn't</em>!" Bulma shrieked in horror. "You didn't let some <em>Saiyajin</em> steal your pelt?!"</p><p>("Some Saiyajin?" she heard Vegeta mutter in offense.)</p><p>"What—no!" she spat back, waving her hands. "That's—well that's his—"</p><p>"Prince Vegeta," the other Saiyajin rumbled, taking a moment to shoo the cats off of him before standing and bowing his head respectfully.</p><p>"<em>Prince</em>?" Cheelai echoed, noticing for the first time there was another person there. "Oh my gods! Lemo! You have <em>no</em>right to be mad at me for saving Broly from his dad—Bulma let their <em>prince</em> follow her home!"</p><p>"<em>What</em>?!" Lemo stumbled out of the kitchen, a knife in one hand and a bowl of rice in the other. "What-what-what-<em>what</em>—BULMA! Don't tell me <em>you</em> decided to kidnap a Saiyajin like Cheelai did?!"</p><p>Vegeta, all attention suddenly on him, looked perturbed while Bulma stuttered, trying to find the words. "You <em>kidnapped</em> that Saiyajin?" she finally wheezed.</p><p>"That's what <em>I</em> said!" Lemo groaned.</p><p>"I <em>rescued</em> him!" Cheelai insisted, immediately going to Broly's—as that was what Vegeta called him—side to put her hands on what she assumed was attempting to be his shoulder but ended up being his forearm due to their height difference. "Broly's my friend! And he <em>needs</em> you to take this collar off of him!"</p><p>Bulma mouthed confused gibberish for a moment, looking at everyone in the room, noticing at last that—indeed—the larger Saiyajin had a metal collar around his neck.</p><p>"Good."</p><p>Vegeta's voice shocked her out of her own thoughts and confusion, he stood straight, arms crossed, looking between all the people in the room. "Paragus insisted that Broly ran away, he must have been humiliated that weaker lifeforms got the drop on him."</p><p>"I sure <em>did</em>," Cheelai agreed with a grin. "I kicked him in the—"</p><p>"—And she stole the remote and broke it," Broly interrupted, nodding. He turned a serious look to Bulma, only taking two steps to be arm's length away from her. She balked, staring back at him in surprise, inadvertently pressing back into Vegeta as she did.</p><p>"Calm down," Vegeta grumbled into her ear, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Broly isn't violent. Even so, he won't do anything while I'm here. He's a trusted comrade."</p><p>His breath tickled her, causing Bulma to cringe at her own reaction of shivering at the unintended proximity.</p><p>Broly stared down at her with dark, somber eyes, putting Bulma in the mind of someone grieving deeply. After what felt like an eternity, he lowered himself to his knees, bowing his head. "Please. Please…" He put his hands to the collar, allowing Bulma to see the marks on his fingers and neck from previous attempts to pull it off. "They said…you can remove it…please…I'll do anything…"</p><p>"Pleeeease, Bulma!" Cheelai added, grabbing Bulma's arm and shaking her lightly. "It's a shock collar! His dad was using it to control him!"</p><p>"It's true," Vegeta spoke up again. "It was…approved by my father."</p><p>Was that an admission of guilt? Seemed unusual for the proud prince to admit to something like that, Broly nodded vigorously but insisted: "<em>Vegeta</em> was not responsible for it. He tried to take it off me first. That's why he has sca—"</p><p>"That's <em>enough</em>, Broly," Vegeta's tone turned severe as he glared at Broly.</p><p>(She wasn't certain if he reacted that way because Broly was showing familiarity or revealing something Vegeta didn't want to show about his character. Maybe both?)</p><p>"…Okay," Bulma breathed, lolling her head back with a sigh, trying to get her bearings in the whole situation. "Lemo, we can test out my food multiplier now since we've got two Saiyajin here. Cheelai, get the first aid and my tool kit. Broly, get off the floor you don't need to grovel." She paused, glancing back at Vegeta. "And you go sit down, I guess, we'll have lunch in a second."</p><p>A shock collar, used to control the Saiyajin (only <em>half</em> Saiyajin as his mother was a sea dweller) Broly, put on by his own father in response to his power. It all seemed too far out of the realm of reality. Just as much as accidentally encountering the prince of Saiyajin while she was out swimming.</p><p>Yet there she was, working away at the small but technically sophisticated collar to free one of the Saiyajin from his captivity while the prince of all <em>freaking Saiyajin</em> observed them from his position on the couch.</p><p>"And how did you pick up <em>this</em> guy, Bulma?" Lemo mumbled to her in aside after he set down a generous bowl of rice and fish in front of Vegeta.</p><p>"Chance encounter," Vegeta answered for her, smugly smirking and tapping his ear when Lemo turned back to him in shock. "I can hear you clearly, you know. Saiyajin have superior hearing."</p><p>"Whatever," the old fish sighed with disgust, rolling his eyes.</p><p>"I wasn't expecting it either, Lemo," Bulma muttered, eyes fixed squarely on her work rather than her guardian. "I'm sorry, okay? <em>Luckily</em> it seems like for now they want to help us."</p><p>"I will," Broly vowed. "You're doing this for me, I'll do whatever you want to repay that."</p><p>Gods, what was such a sincere, pure-hearted fellow like him doing in this neck of the woods? Bulma shook her head, trying to force herself out of the false security she had lulled herself into around the Saiyajin—no, it wasn't possible for him to be <em>innocent</em>. It wasn't like that with Saiyajin, it wasn't like that with <em>land dwellers</em>, they took and they took and they destroyed when they were done. How normal the whole scene was, with Broly talking to Vegeta giving high praise for Lemo's cooking, going on to explain sushi and how Lemo had the idea to expand it into larger portions by making rice bowls out of it. With Vegeta chewing slowly as he listened, Scratch—a small black cat—poking his head out of Vegeta's hair. With Cheelai bouncing her leg as she waited, smiling and laughing and pushing Broly on the shoulder saying, "No, come on Broly! It's just a spicy mustard, it's nothing that <em>special</em> for the sauce!"</p><p>It wasn't normal, it wasn't natural, so why did it feel like it was?</p><p>That was part of the trick, she told herself, hiding the triumphant smirk that came to her face when the collar clicked loose. "Okay, Cheelai," Bulma said, pulling away the metal binding to reveal the horrorshow of burns underneath. "You handle Broly's burns here, I'll take care of Vegeta."</p><p>"Roger~" Cheelai responded with a mock salute, balancing herself precariously on the couch arm to get at Broly's neck with the salve.</p><p>"Take care of me?" Vegeta echoed, staring at her suspiciously as Bulma moved to get some wrappings and a cleaning cloth. "Are you disposing of me? Is our deal off so soon?"</p><p>She exchanged a look with Lemo, who seemed equally alarmed by the casual declaration. "Hey, pal, paranoid much?" Lemo answered for her, squinting. "Obviously we don't trust your kind, but we're not murderers." He muttered again, despite knowing it was useless around the Saiyajin: "Gods only know that's <em>your</em> deal with the amphibious anyway."</p><p>"And what's <em>your</em> deal?" the prince asked, taking his attention off of whatever Bulma was doing for the moment, allowing her to start with dressing the wound on his hand inflicted by her. "How did any of you—ah! What the hell are you doing, woman?!" he yelped, moving away from the touch of the decidedly cold washcloth and jostling Scratch out of his hair at the same time.</p><p>"What, seriously?" Bulma snorted, undaunted as she tossed away the glove she had peeled off and continued washing the wound. "I bit you, I take care of the wound, I didn't know Saiyajin were such babies about this stuff."</p><p>"You <em>bit</em> him, Bulma?" Cheelai gasped, turning around to get a look. "Oooohhhh—it's starting to bruise, you must have really pissed her off, princey."</p><p>"This is nothing," Vegeta groused defensively. "And I'm not a <em>baby</em>, I already told you that—you're lucky I didn't kill you for touching me without permission!"</p><p>"Okay." Well and truly done with Saiyajin Bullshit, Bulma chose not to say anything else and just continued with treating the bitemark.</p><p>"You <em>are</em> lucky, this is the stuff I used to treat everyone when I was scavenging for survivors," Lemo explained while she worked. "It's made from a special crop of beans, hard to get that stuff period."</p><p>"And…how did <em>you</em> get it?" Vegeta, whose attention appeared to be split between watching Bulma and listening to what the old fish was saying, inquired.</p><p>"I got my sources," said Lemo with a shrug. "We used to be able to grow it ourselves but since things turned hostile where we lived before, no go anymore."</p><p>Their conversation turned into a buzz around Bulma while the Saiyajin asked for the explanation for how the sea dwellers ended up where they were presently, so concentrated she was on treating Vegeta's wound. It wasn't a bad mark, it wouldn't scar and the bruises were already clearing up, but just for a moment her attention was caught by the scars she saw and remembered something Broly said. Some scars looked like Broly's from when he tried to pull off his collar, so then it only could be concluded that Vegeta had attempted to remove the collar himself and received the same treatment.</p><p><em>Trusted comrade</em>, he had said.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><em>Roommates</em>, she had said. Though that was beginning to look like a serious understatement. The way Lemo—the old one, and Cheelai—the one Broly had become attached to, interacted with Bulma spoke more of a familial bond. And really, who else did they have? Lemo looked at the two Saiyajin with the suspicion of a father realizing interloping men were sniffing around his daughters. Cheelai ribbed at Bulma with the teasing affection of a younger sibling. They were much more to her than <em>roommates</em>.</p><p>She was still holding his hand. She cared much more about that wound than was necessary, really. But somehow it felt so nice he didn't want her to pull away so soon and the disappointment he felt when she <em>did</em> was horrible.</p><p>"…So," Broly said to him when the sea dwellers had left the room, "She bested you."</p><p>"That she did," he replied, the admittance feeling sour on his tongue. The woman knocked him down, she shed blood, she defied him at every turn, and that was a lot more <em>intriguing</em> than it had any right to be.</p><p>"Vegeta, I want to help them."</p><p>It didn't surprise him that Broly felt called to help, he was part sea dweller after all, at the same time he had always been a little <em>soft</em> for a Saiyajin. Nonetheless, Vegeta still questioned it: "<em>How</em>? You don't even know what their plan is, idiot."</p><p>Broly shrugged. "You don't know what their plan is, either, but you're here."</p><p>"That's…because…"</p><p>Because why? Because seeing the person Frieza frequently bragged about the brutal murder of sparked some <em>hope </em>in him that maybe, just maybe, there was a chance he wasn't all-powerful? Because that same person struck him as familiar and comforting just being around?</p><p>"…Because think about it, if Frieza was wrong about killing the woman, what else was he wrong about? He <em>can</em> be defeated."</p><p>Broly didn't appear to believe the excuse but let it go by without comment anyway.</p><p>"And he claimed the pearls were a myth, did he not?" Without waiting for him to answer, Vegeta continued: "I saw the mark on the woman's chest—"</p><p>"—It's rude to look at women there without their permission."</p><p>"—Shut up! It was an <em>accident</em>, it's not like I went out to see that on purpose!" Vegeta snapped, feeling his face heat up for the third time that day. Broly <em>knew</em> him better than that! He wasn't a <em>voyeur</em> or licentious, that sort of behavior was just <em>improper</em>! "The point is there were <em>stars</em> on that mark—meaning, Frieza lied, the pearls are <em>real</em>.</p><p>"Of course he lied about them!" the voice of Cheelai sounded out as she came back into the room with them, hand pressed to her hip in a defiant gesture and a scoff on her lips. "The amphibious have been hunting the pearls this whole time. They really told you they weren't real? Wow, I wonder what else they're lying to you Saiyajin about," she chuckled with a careless grin that worried Vegeta more than he cared to admit. His concern only grew when her expression became serious, posture immediately rigid and closed, from his impression so far he could already tell such an appearance was uncharacteristic for her. "The pearls grant wishes. Any wish you have," she intoned gravely.</p><p>Just like the legend spoke of. If <em>that</em> legend was true, what of the others? Sea dwellers were real, their mystical pearls were real. Perhaps the legendary ultimate form of the Saiyajin was real as well? It was a lot to think about, far more than he had expected to come across that day.</p><p>It was still more exciting than politics, though. Vegeta had unintentionally stumbled into granting one of his own wishes—an adventure far away from the influence of the Saiyajin or the amphibious.</p><p>Broly excused himself to follow after Cheelai, saying that she was going to introduce him to something or other, leaving Vegeta alone in the room with the black feline resting on his knee. After a moment where he heard Bulma and Lemo in the next room talking about something—most likely him and all the reasons Bulma needed to be careful—she appeared in from the doorway.</p><p>"Took you long enough," he couldn't help but jeer. "I thought you abandoned me, my feelings were hurt."</p><p>She snorted, rolling her eyes. "Right, I hurt the big scawy pwince's feefees," she mocked, coming over to sit next to him.</p><p>The press of her weight next to his felt natural, comforting. Her reaching out to rub at the cat's ears only further added to what would look like a bizarre picture of domesticity to an outsider. Not that he wanted anyone to witness this. Not that she wanted that, either.</p><p>"When Frieza wounded me," Bulma explained with no more intention of dancing around the truth as she stopped petting the cat and looked up at him. "The pearl I have protected me, and from there it…it's felt like I have a sense of where they are, what their nature is. I've been turning that into a radar to track them down."</p><p>"And?" Vegeta prompted, finding the explanation somewhat useless but believable anyway—he <em>was</em> looking at a sea dweller, they were inherently magical beings. "What do you intend with finding them?"</p><p>"I'm going to reverse the damage the amphibious have caused," she said with determination. "And if you're really insisting on coming along…I'm going to devise a way to make you strong enough to beat the Colds." She thumped herself on the chest with her fist, smiling cockily. "I'm a genius scientist, after all, I can figure out something that will boost your strength in no time."</p><p>"Tempting, but what if I want the wish on the pearls instead?" Vegeta challenged.</p><p>Much to his surprise, or pleasure, or horror, or all three—he wasn't sure which at the moment—Bulma only stared back at him with that icy look from before. "No deal, and if you push it I'll make your death miserable."</p><p>Would it have been awkward to tell her that if she were Saiyajin that would be stage two of coming onto another Saiyajin?</p><p>"Fine," he managed, hating that how taken aback he was by her proclamation caused him to bow so easily to her. "It better be worth passing up the wish."</p><p>"Oh, it will be," Bulma promised with a smile. "That's a promise…partner."</p><p>Partner, indeed. Vegeta always knew he was destined for greater things than what was expected of him, he just didn't realize it would happen to involve partnering up with an allegedly extinct sea dweller to take on the amphibious. He had the opportunity to destroy the empire that had enslaved his people, it wasn't just some far off dream anymore, sure he would be placing his trust in strangers and chasing legends…but he didn't care. He was going to follow this thread to the finish and nothing would get in his way.</p><p>"Fine." Vegeta was never a sharing feelings and thoughts kind of person. "I need to report back to Father."</p><p>He wasn't sure what he was expecting her to say in response, surely he wasn't expecting something sappy, yet when all she did was shrug and remind him not to fly until he left the town's threshold he felt vaguely offended. Indeed, Bulma had waved him off entirely, saying she needed to get back to work. <em>Fine.</em></p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It wasn't as though Bulma was <em>lying</em> to him, she did need to get back to work in her space, and two Saiyajin in the house was simply far too many for one day. Maybe she was imagining that he appeared huffy about her ignoring him, why would he? He was the one who forced his way into her life, demanding that she let him in on the plan to get back against the amphibious. He was the one who…well, he never outright demanded it, but Bulma did imply to him that he would be permitted to…whatever. She wasn't sure if he would demand her pelt—why would he? Saiyajin were notoriously elitist and kept their bloodline "pure" so to speak, Cheelai and Lemo's new friend was an anomaly that way.</p><p>"They don't need to make you <em>marry</em> them to take what they want," Lemo reminded her when she brought up her doubts and confusion. "Come on, you know how men are, they all want to get their rocks off and that's all."</p><p>"Right, yeah…" She mumbled to herself, adjusting another set of screws and wires in her radar. The pull of the pearls nagged at her, thrummed at the back of her mind, the phantom pain of the scar along with it, the memory of Frieza's sneering face licking up her blood.</p><p>Bulma shuddered.</p><p>Cheelai and Lemo both knew why she was shuddering. Broly, however, not having all of the context dutifully placed his mother's pelt over her shoulders, assuming she was cold.</p><p>"You can rely on Vegeta," he said softly as she looked up at him. "He's not…like that."</p><p>Then again, she thought as she struggled between shrugging off the pelt out of discomfort and leaving it on for his sake, yes Broly would know what she meant. What <em>they</em> meant. She didn't understand why a Saiyajin took a sea dweller for a spouse, perhaps the sicko wanted to see what would happen if a crossbreed was made. Science was wonderful, but using people as experiments like that…she couldn't imagine. It was repulsive.</p><p>"And…me, you can rely on me as well," he continued, resolutely making eye contact with her. "I will protect you." His eyes cast to Cheelai and Lemo, the true focus of his devotion. "All of you."</p><p>Was she really going to trust an alliance with the Saiyajin? Broly seemed genuinely sincere, Vegeta was another story, like a strange mix between antagonism and some tension completely foreign to her. She remembered the gentle kiss on the hand from him, the thrill it created in her gut like a little girl that still dreamed about Prince Charming.</p><p>Prince Charming he was not, more like Warlord Nasty.</p><p>Yet she remembered next being pressed up against him, how he held her shoulders and reassured her that no harm would come to her. She remembered that she believed what he told her without question.</p><p>"Okay," Bulma sighed, shaking herself out of her unnatural musings. "Then we'll get a room set up for you."</p><p>"Looks like you're part of the family now, kiddo," Lemo commented, patting Broly on one shoulder while Cheelai cheered and patted him on the other (albeit a little more forcefully than Lemo did).</p><p>"I don't mean to intrude," Broly added, inclining his head politely to Bulma. "Thank you for your hospitality."</p><p>She wished she could hate or mistrust Broly, but damn he just had to be so lovable and <em>nice</em>.</p><p>Vegeta, however…it remained to be seen.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Vegeta took a breath after alighting onto the balcony of his room, a still and cool night enveloped the Saiyajin palace, the quarter moon the only illumination to guide any traveler (though Saiyajin could see quite well in the dark). It wasn't late, he intended right away to meet with his father and tell him about his "training trip."</p><p>He paused in the center of his own room, contemplating the comforts he was afforded (though mostly he didn't concern himself with too many decorations and frivolities). The house of Bulma and her friends was sterile in comparison, no hint of the sea, no hint of being <em>lived</em> in as if they expected to have to leave suddenly.</p><p>The amount of <em>thought</em> he was devoting towards them was unnatural, he needed to concentrate on other things, even if they had Broly along with them now.</p><p>Vegeta strode into his father's office with purpose in his step, the King—poring over documents and maps—glanced up at him, indifferent in expression. Much like his own expression mirrored back, considering Vegeta ended up getting much of his looks from his father—although not the hair color or height. </p><p>"You're home late," he commented, a twitch in his auburn mustache being the only hint of expression he gave. "Something interesting out there, boy?"</p><p>Vegeta bit the insides of his cheeks—he hated it when the old man called him <em>boy</em> as if he wasn't twenty-fucking-four years old. "I found a new place to train, I'm going to be taking a trip there for the time being."</p><p>"How nice for you," the King muttered sarcastically. "You should tell your mother before you leave."</p><p>He didn't know what he expected, exactly. Being questioned? Getting praise? Since aging to adulthood, he didn't hear any of what his father used to say about how he looked forward to Vegeta becoming a vicious king, that he was proud of his strength.</p><p>Just his strength, he supposed, nothing else. Not that the King was expected to know such things, Saiyajin didn't have time for sentimentality when there was the question of getting stronger.</p><p>Fine, he didn't want to talk to his father anyway, the Queen was more adept with conversation anyway.</p><p>"Paragus has completely lost his head over Broly going missing," Vegeta heard her saying to Tarble as he moved to her section of the office wing.</p><p>"I know, he's become much harsher on Kale," Tarble, his younger and abnormally polite brother, sighed. "I'm worried that she'll end up with a collar around her neck too."</p><p>Their mother tsked, reaching out to touch the younger prince's cheek gently. "It was only because of Broly's strength, dearest, Kale doesn't have anything to worry about." In the next moment, she looked up, making eye contact with Vegeta. "Ah, where have you been, Vegeta?"</p><p>"Out," he answered brusquely, much more so than usual towards her. "I'm going on a training trip."</p><p>She raised an eyebrow at him, eyes ticking over his appearance, tail tip quivering from its place wrapped around her waist.</p><p>What was of such interest to her, he wondered. Maybe she smelled something?</p><p>"Were you injured, Vegeta?" Tarble ended up asking the question that was in their mother's eyes. "I smell blood."</p><p>"A creature attacked me when I was hunting," he lied with a shrug. He should have felt terrible about lying to his family yet could not be bothered, Tarble would have been far too excited to learn of the sea dwellers—would want to research them and ask questions. His overly curious mind left behind any common sense or awareness about the position he was in as far as status went. Mother…he wasn't certain, she was beholden to the grip of the Colds just the same as they were. It wasn't that he didn't trust either of them—more so than his father, of course—he inexplicably felt uncomfortable sharing any knowledge he had about the discovery.</p><p>(He told himself it <em>wasn't</em> because he didn't wish to betray what little trust Bulma gave him so soon.)</p><p>"I see," said Tarble, giving him the look he usually did when he didn't entirely believe Vegeta was telling the truth. "Were you going to take anybody with you on the trip?"</p><p>"No."</p><p><em>Hell no</em>.</p><p>He supposed if the Queen were a normal mother she would tease him about seeing some secret affair of his, question when she was getting grandchildren—being the Queen, naturally, she wasn't <em>ordinary</em> in the slightest (and knew her son better than that). She nodded with a wave of dismissal. "Very well, Vegeta. Do try not to injure yourself against common forest creatures again."</p><p>"Understood."</p><p>Vegeta left, though Tarble followed after him peppering him with questions about what sort of animal had attacked him—surely it had to be a rare creature that could injure a Saiyajin. He internally sighed, tail flicking back and forth with the distinct urge to smack the smaller Saiyajin away from him—but he couldn't do that, Tarble was frail, compared to him. Not weak necessarily, just lacked killing intent and fighting drive. He was…<em>kind</em>. He dedicated his time to research and the finer details of politics. Vegeta supposed if he were born into a lower class than royalty, Tarble would have served as an advisor—he didn't see why he couldn't anyway, it wasn't as though he had any bias towards their father, the old bastard.</p><p>Tarble's hand on his arm brought him and his thoughts to a pause. "He's doing it again," the younger prince sighed. Vegeta, bringing his attention back to the present, saw Paragus—another old bastard of a Saiyajin, prematurely greyed and impotently angry—lecturing a meek-looking Saiyajin woman about something he could only catch bits and pieces of.</p><p>
  <em>"…Don't you even DARE think of running off on me, Kale—you're completely useless and would die out there—"</em>
</p><p>As much as Vegeta hated being dragged into family drama, being associated with Broly he was already fully aware of the context behind Paragus's diatribe and rough grip on the woman. Kale and Broly were twins, while Broly was always abnormally strong, Kale had been born underweight and incredibly fragile. It wasn't out of protectiveness that their father held her under his thumb, however, Paragus was simply stronger than Kale and able to control her without a collar. She was pitiful, Vegeta thought for someone who wasn't inclined to give pity often, skinny and shy, no fighting ability whatsoever, no tail or pelt despite her ancestry. It was a miracle that she wasn't simply culled from birth.</p><p>Broly would hate to see how Kale's treatment had grown worse since he left.</p><p>Perhaps it was something about the phase of the moon that Vegeta felt inclined to do something today.</p><p>"Paragus!" he barked, sending a shockwave through the hapless Saiyajin before them. "What's this you're wasting time with? My father wants to see you right away!"</p><p>Paragus faltered, caught between glancing at his daughter and Vegeta. "I—I understand, your highness, I apologize." He turned to Kale and severely ordered her to <em>not move</em> before excusing himself.</p><p>Vegeta felt Tarble's perplexed gaze on him, Kale equally looked surprised as she shrank back, staring at them. "Well?" Vegeta prompted impatiently. "Who's that midclass you hang around with?"</p><p>The one that stuck by her side and protected her with a determination that couldn't be comprehended by him personally. <em>She</em> could protect Kale from the old bastard, build up her confidence much more appropriately and carefully than he ever could considering he didn't have the time or care to deal with that.</p><p>"Caulifla," Tarble muttered.</p><p>"—Caulifla, go find her, I can't have you skulking about the halls," he said with affected boredom. "If your father has a complaint tell him it was an order from me and <em>if I see him</em> engaging in this nonsense again he'll be punished."</p><p>"Y-yes!" her high, terrified squeak sounded out. "Th…thank you, your highness!" She scuttled away before Vegeta could protest he didn't <em>need</em> her thanks and really was disgusted by the very idea of being thanked.</p><p>A long silence occupied the hall thereafter.</p><p>"Go ahead," Vegeta grunted. "Say it. That wasn't normal for me."</p><p>"Well…no, it wasn't," Tarble admitted, looking at him as though he were a stranger. "It was…something I would have done if I wasn't…"</p><p>"Whatever," he scoffed, waving his hand dismissively. "I'm leaving now, don't expect me back for a while. If Frieza comes by again and asks about me, tell him to go to hell."</p><p>"Oh, sure, Vegeta," Tarble scoffed back. "Right after I get into a fist fight with him, surely."</p><p>He should have been irritated with the sarcasm, since it was Tarble however he only smiled as he left to return to his room and pack. It was like a wet kitten puffing itself up when Tarble did that.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>With that we've reached the end of what scrapped works I have! From now on this will only update with oneshots, okay, I love you, buhbye</p>
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